Judge Freezes NECC's Owners Assets

A bankruptcy court judge on Friday froze the assets of the four owners of New England Compounding Center.

The Framingham specialty pharmacy has been linked to the deadly meningitis outbreak that killed 44 and infected more than 600 individuals nationwide.

NECC filed for bankruptcy protection just before Christmas.

The order Friday by Judge Henry Boroff at a hearing in Springfield forbids the owners of the New England Compounding Center from spending or moving any of their assets, except to pay living expenses or legal bills, reported the Associated Press.

The written order from the judge is expected to be released Monday.

The order, which came in response to a motion by a creditors committee, applies to o

Anne Andrews, an attorney for one of the creditors on the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors, called the decision a "big victory" reported the Associated Press.

Andrews said the court ruling means a judge can now determine how much the NECC owners owe back to the creditors, who include victims of the outbreak. More than 100 lawsuits have been filed against NECC. A hearing on that issue is scheduled for Feb. 28.

The Framingham pharmacy has closed, surrendered its license, and recalled its products.

A federal judge has ruled any criminal case against a Framingham specialty pharmacy New England Compounding Center (NECC) would have priority over the numerous civil suits.

Later, NECC recalled every product made and laid off all employees.

Later, CDC and FDA officials confirmed a fungus was found in those recalled steroids and recently, fungus and bacteria were found in other NECC products.

The FDA released a list of customers, who received products from NECC in Framingham on or after May 21.

***

Click here to find all of Framingham Patch’s coverage of NECC and the meningitis outbreak.