Second Talcum-Powder Mesothelioma Verdict Against Johnson & Johnson Announced

Second Talcum-Powder Mesothelioma Verdict Against Johnson & Johnson Announced

A Los Angeles jury delivered a $25.7 million verdict against Johnson & Johnson last week in a lawsuit brought by a 68-year-old woman and long-time user of J&J’s talcum baby powder. The jury ordered J&J and its talc suppliers to pay $21.7 million compensatory damages, and $4 million in punitive damages. J&J was assigned 67 percent responsibility, with the rest distributed among other defendant suppliers of talc.

Over the past several years, Johnson & Johnson has had a number of high-dollar verdicts against it for the manner in which it marketed and distributed its talcum-powder containing products while failing to disclose known health hazards associated with talc exposure. Talc is a mined mineral that is often found intermingled with seams of asbestos, which is believed to contaminate the talc.

J&J is battling some 6,000 cases nationwide, most of which center on claims that its talc powder products caused ovarian cancer, but last week’s decision highlights the new focus talc litigation has taken on in recent months with plaintiffs claiming the widely used product causes mesothelioma – a terminal cancer strongly associated with asbestos exposure.

Last week’s verdict marks the second mesothelioma trial loss in two months against J&J over allegations that its talc-based products contain asbestos. In April, a New Jersey state court jury ordered J&J and its talc supplier to pay $117 million to a man who alleged he developed mesothelioma due to asbestos exposure from J&J baby powder. J&J has appealed that decision.

But mesothelioma is very strongly associated with exposure to asbestos, to the exclusion of nearly every other possible cause. And for mesothelioma victims that have no known occupational or traditional product exposure to asbestos, talcum powder exposure is a relatively novel, but potentially very real cause. If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, you should contact an experienced attorney right away to learn more about your rights.