As an attorney , Butler became known for his defective drugs products liability work . In 1971 , he won a $ 2.75 million jury verdict against Richardson-Merrell , the company that tested thalidomide , which caused birth defects . The judgment was later reduced to $ 500,000 . After the first case , Butler went on to serve as plaintiffs ' counsel in about 20 more thalidomide cases . Other notable cases in which Butler was counsel including litigation over Turkish Airlines Flight 981 ( which crashed in Paris in 1974 ) and Pan Am Flight 73 ( which was hijacked in Karachi , Pakistan )
Pan Am Flight 73
Pan Am Flight 73
James G. Butler