Today a California jury delivered a $29 million judgment against Johnson & Johnson, agreeing with a mesothelioma victim that the company’s iconic baby powder was the cause of her illness and that the company had been well aware of its dangers. Though the company has already indicated that they will appeal the decision, this outcome represents a significant defeat: the company is facing thousands of additional lawsuits filed by people accusing the product of causing several asbestos-related diseases.
Years of Talc Powder Use Resulted in Fatal Illness
The mesothelioma victim in this case is Terry Leavitt, who filed her claim along with her husband. According to testimony that was presented to the jury, she had used both the company’s baby powder product and another talc-based powder throughout her childhood in the 1960s and 1970s, and then was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2017. It took both sides in the lawsuit two months to present all of their evidence, but in the end the jury decided in just two days, agreeing with Leavitt that the evidence showed that the company had been aware of their product being contaminated with asbestos, and chose not to alert consumers to the dangers that it posed. Much of the jury’s decision was swayed by internal corporate documents that specifically discussed asbestos and the concerns that revelations about it might have on the company’s bottom line. One memo indicated that the company’s talc products contained materials that “might be classified as asbestos powder,” an outcome that would have been the result of talc deposits being located close to asbestos deposits.
Multi-Million Dollar Wins Against Johnson & Johnson Continue
Johnson & Johnson is facing more than 13,000 lawsuits filed by mesothelioma victims and ovarian cancer victims. Each accuses the company of having sold and marketed asbestos-contaminated talc with the knowledge of its risk. Other cases have already been determined, with a group of 22 women having been awarded $4.7 billion in economic and punitive damages for their ovarian cancer diagnosis. Other multi-million mesothelioma verdicts have also been handed down.
If you have been diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma and you need information about your diagnosis, about possible sources of asbestos exposure, or anything else, the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net can help. Contact us today at 1-800-692-8608 to learn more.
