had met her husband in 1959 while studying at the University of Florence. She came to the United States with Contergan tablets she had brought from Germany and a prescription from her physician. The lawsuit alleged that Chemie Grünenthal was negligent in the testing of thalidomide and that they failed to warn of its effects on unborn children. By 1968, the company stated that thalidomide was not recommended for use "during pregnancy as such". The qualifying term obstetrics was employed. It was used in hindsight to strengthen the argument that doctors would interpret the word to mean that thalidomide was safe during the final stage of pregnancy only. This is a fallacious form of reasoning according to the German Medical Association, which defines obstetrics as starting with conception. As a result of the thalidomide scandal, the Health Law in West Germany was strengthened and new requirements for pharmaceutical testing were created; the Federal Ministry of Health was established in 1962. Criminal trial In 1968, Grünenthal executives were tried for involuntary manslaughter. In 1970, the indictment was closed due to the minor guilt of the defendants and insufficient public interest in further proceedings. Reparations In 1970, Grünenthal paid DM 100 million to the , and the German government paid reparations of DM 320 million. Between 1997 and 2008, Grünenthal declined further payments to thalidomide victims. At the end of 2007, the British entrepreneur Nicholas Dobrik organised a group of victims and began an international campaign for further reparations. On 8 May 2008, Grünenthal announced it would voluntarily pay further €50 million to the Thalidomide Foundation to help to improve the lives of thalidomide victims. Apology In August 2012, the company issued its first apology in a half-century, saying it regretted the consequences of the drug. Harald Stock, Grunenthal's chief executive, said the company had failed to reach out "from person to person" to the victims and their mothers over the past 50 years. The company has refused to compensate the Spanish victims of the drug who have sued the company. Leprosy treatment In 1964, Israeli physician Jacob Sheskin discovered the positive effect of thalidomide in the treatment of leprosy. Since the 1970s, Grünenthal has delivered thalidomide tablets to leprosy clinics to assist the fight against leprosy. The delivery takes place under strict conditions and by virtue of an agreement with the World Health Organization. Grünenthal provided thalidomide to more than 1,000