Pfizer Is Very Disappointed with the Verdict and Does Not Believe the Facts of This Case

Pfizer is very disappointed with the verdict and does not believe the facts of this case warrant the conclusion reached by the jury. We are now considering our post-trial options.

Pfizer did not terminate Ms. McClain’s employment to retaliate against her for making any safety complaints or for exercising her right to free speech. Pfizer terminated Ms. McClain’s employment because she refused to return to work for a period of 11 months, despite numerous and repeated efforts by Pfizer to secure her return to the workplace.

In 2005, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration conducted an eight month investigation of Ms. McClain’s claims regarding discrimination and the safety of the workplace and concluded that her claims were without merit. Ms. McClain also raised complaints with the Connecticut Department of Public Health (CTDPH) which oversees the use of certain biological materials. The CTDPH investigated and did not find any violations of public safety codes for the issues for which it had jurisdiction.

We thoroughly investigated Ms. McClain’s claims and our investigation concluded that her workplace was safe and that she was not infected by any virologic materials while she was employed by Pfizer. In February of this year, the federal district court in Hartford dismissed Ms. McClain’s claims that Pfizer caused her physical harm as a result of a workplace exposure. The district court concluded that there was no evidence in the record to demonstrate that McClain suffered any physical harm as a result of a laboratory exposure and no evidence to demonstrate that Pfizer intended to cause her any harm. We believe that this ruling confirms the correctness of Pfizer’s conclusions.

Ms. McClain made numerous requests for health and safety information, both unrelated to and as part of her claims. Pfizer cooperated with Ms. McClain’s requests for information and has responded in good faith to all of her requests. In fact, McClain's attorney indicated that all discovery requests has been met.

Pfizer is committed to protecting the health and safety of our colleagues and the communities in which we operate. In addition to our commitment to full compliance with environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, we have company-wide policies, standards, and programs combined with site-level management systems and initiatives tailored to the particular safety issues and needs at each location.