A Boston jury has ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay Massachusetts residents, Paul Lovell and his wife Kathryn, over $42.6 million in what is believed to be the largest mesothelioma award in the state’s history. The couple had accused the cosmetic giant of negligently allowing asbestos to contaminate its popular baby powder product and of selling it to consumers without warning of its dangers.
Two-Week Trial Ends in Victory for Mesothelioma Victim
According to testimony presented to jurors throughout the two-week trial, the 69-year-old Lovell had used Johnson’s Baby Powder on himself and his four children for years, never considering that the iconic talc-based product would lead to his eventual diagnosis with malignant pleural mesothelioma.
The rare form of cancer is almost exclusively caused by exposure to asbestos, leaving Lovell uncertain as to where he could have encountered the deadly mineral. Having no occupational history of exposure or even having used joint compound, it wasn’t until he was made aware of the risks posed by asbestos-contaminated talc, and learned of the thousands of outstanding claims against Johnson & Johnson, that he began to suspect that his decades-long use of the company’s talc-based product could be linked to his deadly disease.
Johnson & Johnson Faces Over 60,000 Talc Claims for Ovarian Cancer and Mesothelioma
Though Johnson & Johnson has argued against its liability in the mesothelioma and ovarian cancer cases that have already gone to trial, it has been ordered to pay millions to victims, including a $45 million verdict awarded to an Oregon woman and $260 million to another victim.
While the company decries the verdicts and asserts that it will defend itself against the over 60,000 mesothelioma and ovarian cancer cases pending against it, the company also discontinued its sales of talc-based baby powder in the United States five years ago, switching the baby powder product to cornstarch. The company has also quietly settled several mesothelioma claims against it out of court, and is working to complete a bankruptcy filing that would include a multi-billion-dollar settlement with victims.
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease after years of using talc-based baby powder, the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net can help. Contact us today at 1-800-692-8608 to learn more.
