SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – Jury selection is expected to begin Monday in the lawsuit against the maker of an infant formula that’s being blamed for brain damage suffered by an Iowa girl.  The Sioux City Journal says  5-year-old Jeanine Kunkel, of Sioux City, is unable to speak. She takes six medications a day and is given nourishment through a tube.

The lawsuit filed in February 2011 alleges that powdered Similac powder prepared by the girl’s mother led to Jeanine contracting bacterial meningitis that caused severe brain damage just days after Jeanine was born in April 2008.

Spokeswoman Tami Jones for Similac manufacturer Abbott Laboratories says all of Abbott’s powdered infant formula products are extensively tested before release to ensure they meet nutritional needs and to ensure the their safety.