Men charged with murder in fungal meningitis outbreak to stand trial

Two men charged for a deadly 2012 fungal meningitis outbreak that killed 11 people will stand trial in Livingston County, Attorney General Dana Nessel announced last Friday. 

Judge Michael P. Hatty denied motions from Barry Cadden, 56, and Glenn Chin, 54, who were seeking a Bill of Particulars to be produced by the People. In addition, Cadden filed a motion to suppress computer evidence seized by law enforcement after the execution of federal search warrants at the New England Compounding Company. Hatty denied that motion as well. As such, the two men will stand trial in Livingston County after the Michigan Supreme Court returned their cases to Livingston County Circuit Court. Cadden and Chin each face 11 counts of second-degree murder.  

Cadden was the owner of New England Compounding Center (NECC) in Framingham, Massachusetts and Chin worked as the supervising pharmacist. In 2012, a nationwide fungal meningitis outbreak resulted in 64 deaths, 11 which occurred at the Michigan Pain Specialists Clinic (MPS) in Livingston County. Patients at the clinic were given epidural injections of the steroid methylprednisolone, which was compounded and produced at the NECC in Massachusetts and shipped to MPS. Donna Kruzich, Paula Brent, Lyn Laperriere, Mary Plettl, Gayle Gibson, Patricia Malafouris, Emma Todd, Jennie Barth, Ruth Madouse, and Karina Baxter died as a result of being injected with the contaminated drug.  

The Department of Attorney General alleges that the defendants disregarded sterility procedures in the compounding of sterile medications and created fraudulent cleaning records and falsified scientific testing results.

Both cases are scheduled for a status conference on April 14, 2023, at 8:30 a.m.