GlaxoSmithKline said today it will spend a record amount of money on legal fees associated with lawsuits against its controversial diabetes drug, Avandia, and other issues.

The British company, whose North American headquarters is in Research Triangle Park, said it expects to record $2.36 billion in legal payments and fees in the second quarter.

The legal expenses are partly associated with settlements for Avandia, the onetime blockbuster diabetes drug that is associated with heart-attack risk. GSK did not provide specifics, but Bloomberg News reported this week that GSK has settled thousands of lawsuits against Avandia.

GlaxoSmithKline has paid nearly $1 billion to resolve lawsuits over Paxil since it began selling the antidepressant in 1993, Bloomberg News reported, citing court records and people familiar with the cases.

The total included about $390 million for suicides or attempted suicides said to be linked to the drug, Bloomberg reported.

GSK, the British drugmaker with a North American headquarters in Research Triangle Park, hasn't disclosed a settlement total. Spokeswoman Sarah Alspach declined to confirm the $1 billion figure.