A U.S. judge approved the filing of...

A U.S. judge approved the filing of a $2.4-billion lawsuit that seeks to hold three executives of Richmond, Va.-based A. H. Robins Co. accountable for “misdeeds” and “gross negligence” in the Dalkon Shield case. The chief targets of the suit by the Dalkon Shield Claimants’ Committee are three directors of the family controlled pharmaceutical manufacturer: Chairman E. Claiborne Robins; his son, company President E. Claiborne Robins Jr., and former President William L. Zimmer III. The committee represents about 214,000 women who used the intrauterine contraceptive device and whose claims for damages have withstood initial screening.