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Tuesday 10 May 2011

case against GlaxoSmithKline lawyer tossed out of federal court - Lauren Stevens summary acquittal

Judge Rules For Ex-Glaxo Lawyer Charged With Obstruction


http://www.nasdaq.com/aspx/company-news-story.aspx?storyid=201105101113dowjonesdjonline000225#ixzz1Lxxidlmm



By Brent Kendall and Alicia Mundy



WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- A federal trial judge in Maryland has thrown out the federal government's case against a former GlaxoSmithKline PLC lawyer accused of lying to obstruct a U.S. investigation into whether the pharmaceutical company illegally marketed an antidepressant as a weight-loss drug.



U.S. District Court Judge Roger Titus acquitted former Glaxo lawyer Lauren Stevens without sending the case to the jury. Titus called his summary move to acquit Stevens a "first" in his seven and a half years on the bench.



"I conclude on the basis of the record before me that only with a jaundiced eye and with an inference of guilt that's inconsistent with the presumption of innocence could a reasonable jury ever convict this defendant," Titus said.



Stevens, previously a corporate attorney for Glaxo, had been accused of obstructing a proceeding, falsifying and concealing documents and making false statements to the government. Prosecutors alleged her actions hindered a Food and Drug Administration investigation of whether Glaxo had improperly promoted the antidepressant Wellbutrin for weight loss, a use not approved by the FDA.



The dismissal deals a stinging blow to the government's new efforts to punish corporate executives and attorneys individually for alleged misconduct by their companies.



-By Brent Kendall, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-9222; brent.kendall@ dowjones.com



(END) Dow Jones Newswires

05-10-111113ET

Copyright (c) 2011 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.





The Wall Street Journal

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