Citing Asbestos in Avon’s Talc Products, Recent Mesothelioma Lawsuit Takes on Another Iconic Company

In recent months, American courts have been busy with lawsuits filed by mesothelioma victims, accusing a variety of defendants of knowingly and negligently exposing them to the carcinogenic mineral asbestos. Though the public has become increasingly familiar with asbestos and its dangers as a result of television ads urging victims to seek legal guidance, the vast majority of viewers have shrugged the commercials off, thinking that mesothelioma is a remnant of an earlier day, when asbestos was a constant in industrial workplaces. Now that notion is being displaced, as asbestos-related diseases have begun being diagnosed in a new generation that’s been exposed in an entirely different way: mesothelioma lawsuits are being filed by people who used talc-based products that plaintiffs say were contaminated with asbestos, and the latest company to be accused of negligence is the iconic cosmetics company, Avon.

Woman’s Lawsuit Accuses Avon Products of Causing Her Illness

The idea that products sold by “the Avon lady” could cause malignant mesothelioma is jarring, and the same has been true of accusations against Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder. Yet these cases are being heard in America’s courts as a younger group of mesothelioma victims is being identified – and many of them are women. One of the most recent cases was filed by Kim Young, a 61-year-old woman who was diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma and who believes that it came from her lifelong use of Avon’s talc products. Mrs. Young’s case  has indicated that she used Avon products, including Skin So Soft, Bird of Paradise and Unforgettable, from 1961 through 1999. Like many young girls brought up in the 60s and 70s, she recalls her mother using the same product up until the time of her death, and has memories of using a powder puff to apply the powder, and writing her name in the dust left behind on surfaces in the family bathroom.

New York Judge Permits Case to Move Forward

Though Avon has pushed back against claims of responsibility for Mrs. Young’s mesothelioma, and has filed a motion for summary judgment to have the case dismissed, Judge Manuel J. Mendez of the New York City Asbestos Litigation Court, denied the company’s petition and is allowing the case to proceed so that Mrs. Young can present her plea for compensation for the damages that she and her family have suffered to a jury.

Mesothelioma continues to be diagnosed, and as younger people are facing the realities of the disease, the American public is becoming increasingly aware of the dangers that asbestos continues to present. If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with mesothelioma or any other asbestos-related disease and you need information about the resources available to you, contact us today at 1-800-692-8608.