WRONGFUL DEATH AGAINST DRUG MAKER

A woman whose daughter was shot to death in Minot, N.D. in 2003 has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the man convicted in the killing, his parents and the makers of the drug Zoloft.

Lisa Anderson’s lawsuit alleges Zachary Schmidkunz’s parents, Rhonda and Gail Schmidkunz, should have known about his depression and suicidal thoughts and kept him away from a shotgun. It also claims Pfizer Inc., the maker of the antidepressant drug Zoloft, knew of but failed to warn that Zoloft’s side effects could lead to uncontrollable rage in young patients. Anderson is seeking unspecified damages.

Gail Schmidkunz referred questions about the lawsuit to attorney Richard Hagar, who said it seemed ironic. He said the role of the medication was not considered in sentencing Zachary Schmidkunz, and “it didn’t seem to weigh well with the jury, either.”

Bryant Haskins, a spokesman for Pfizer, said the company had not seen the lawsuit, but he said Zoloft has been on the market for 14 years and has been used safely by millions. “There is no scientifically based evidence to suggest that Zoloft causes patients who are being treated to commit violent acts harming other people,” Haskins said.

Anderson’s daughter, Alexis Walter, was shot to death in November 2003, in the family room of the Schmidkunz home. Zachary Schmidkunz was convicted of killing her and was ordered to serve 35 years in prison. He has filed an appeal.

During his two-week trial in December 2004, Schmidkunz testified he had taken Zoloft for 18 days and then stopped, except for one he thought he took the day before he killed Walter.