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Abbott has agreed to a settlement to resolve claims tied to an investigation of baby formula contamination.
The baby formula factory in Sturgis is the largest in the country, and the contamination brought forth a lawsuit by the Justice Department and recall of powdered infant formula at the facility.
Abbott Labs has agreed to pay $385 million to resolve the claims.
The recall covered several infant formula brands, including Similac. Abbott said the settlement does not represent any findings of fault or liability. It also said tests by government regulators of unopened product from the homes of infants under the investigation at the time (2022) recall were negative for a specific bacteria that causes illness in infants.
Cronobacter sakazakii tests were negative, according to officials. The bacteria is known to cause illness in infants. The company reported that no unopened or distributed Abbott infant formulas have ever tested positive for the bacteria Cronobacter sakazakii.
The Justice Department has closed its criminal investigation into the matter.
Abbott was closed in Sturgis back in February 2022 after the Food and Drug Administration began investigating. It would, however, reopen later that year.
