Meredith McCoyd, who won an $1.5 Billion whistleblower lawsuit against Abbott labs in 2012 has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars and has purchased equipment for the city schools of Decatur Illinois where her son attends school. In the lawsuit, McCoyd accused Abbott of illegally marketing the anti-seizure drug Depakote for uses that were not approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The company said the drug could also be used to treat schizophrenia and dementia patients. McCoyd was a sales rep for Abbott in Atlanta when she filed the suit. The whistleblowers shared an award of $84 million and an additional $22 million in state claims awards.
She already gave the Decatur Education Foundation $500,000 in 2012 and this year purchased $100,000 worth of I-pads for the Renfroe Middle School. Now she will purchase another $50,000 worth of Ipads for the Exceptional Student Services Department
In the lawsuit, McCoyd accused Abbott of illegally marketing the anti-seizure drug Depakote for uses that were not approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The company said the drug could also be used to treat schizophrenia and dementia patients. McCoyd was a sales rep for Abbott in Atlanta when she filed the suit.
She said she’s lived in Decatur for about 10 years. She has a son in the city’s school system and said she began donating to CSD because she “just decided that it was the only the right thing to do and you should also give back to the community.”McCoyd said she prefers donating directly to the school system because it allows her to earmark the money for specific projects, like iPads.
Jeffrey Newman represents whistleblowers. He does not represent Ms. McCoyd.
