In late September 2001, a Mississippi jury awarded ten plaintiffs $100 million in compensatory damages after they alleged that the heartburn drug Propulsid caused their serious heart rhythm disturbances. The defendant and manufacturer of Propulsid, Janssen Pharmaceutica, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, said it would appeal the ruling.

In 1993 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Propulsid, also known as cisapride, for the treatment of heartburn. Janssen removed the drug from the market in the summer of 2000 after dozens became seriously ill and several died from heart arrhythmias and an interruption in the heart's QT interval caused by Propulsid.

Despite the huge compensatory award, the judge prohibited a levy of punitive damages against Janssen Pharmaceutica even though the jury concluded that the manufacturer knew of Propulsid's dangerous side effects. Hundreds of Propulsid lawsuits have been filed against both Janssen and Johnson & Johnson, yet this case was the first one to go to trial.