J & J Loses Case Linking Mesothelioma to Asbestos in Talc

Johnson & Johnson suffered its first loss in an asbestos-related talcum powder lawsuit Thursday after a New Jersey jury ordered the company and its talc supplier to pay $37 million in damages. The jury awarded $30 million in compensatory damages to Stephen Lanzo III, who claims he developed mesothelioma after using Johnson & Johnson’s Shower to Shower and Baby Powder products from 1972 to 2003. His wife, Kendra, was awarded $7 million in damages. Johnson & Johnson was held 70 percent liable in the case, meaning they must pay $25.9 million. France-based talc supplier Imerys SA is liable for the remaining 30 percent, or $11.1 million. The jury will consider additional punitive damages in the second phase of the trial, set to begin Tuesday. “While we are disappointed with this decision, the jury has further deliberations to conduct in this trial and we will reserve additional comment until the case is fully completed,” Carol Goodrich, a spokeswoman for Johnson & Johnson, said in a statement. The historic verdict comes six months after a Los Angeles Superior Court jury ruled in favor of J&J in the first trial aiming to link the company’s products to mesothelioma, a rare cancer caused almost exclusively by exposure to asbestos. Asbestos Claims Are the Latest Challenge for J&J Johnson & Johnson currently faces more than 6,600 talc-related lawsuits. The vast majority of these blame the company’s products for causing women to develop ovar...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Source Type: news