A New York jury has awarded $25 million in compensatory damages to a 66-year-old woman who blames their talc-based baby powder product for her malignant mesothelioma. Donna Olson and her husband Robert filed their lawsuit in 2017, indicating that she had used both Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder and their scented Shower to Shower product from the time she was eight years old in 1953 through 2015. She was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma, which affects the organ that lines the lungs.
Jury may assign additional award for punitive damages
The $25 million that the company has been ordered to pay Mrs. Olson may just be the start: because the lawsuit accused the consumer giant of putting “corporate profits and reputation over the health and safety of consumers,” the jury will now move beyond determining the value of the economic damages that she and her husband suffered and make a decision about the financial punishment that the company should face.
Johnson & Johnson faces 14,000 more asbestos lawsuits
Johnson & Johnson and other talc-based powder companies face thousands of lawsuits blaming them for both malignant mesothelioma and ovarian cancer diagnosed in people who have used their products for years. The lawsuits are based on evidence that the talc used in the products was contaminated with asbestos, and that the companies were aware of the danger to consumers and chose not to warn of its presence. Though the companies deny these claims, testimony submitted during this and previous trials have shown internal memos referring to asbestos and what to do about it, as well as efforts by the companies to have an impact on FDA regulations regarding the levels of asbestos that are acceptable in consumer products. Mrs. Olson’s lawsuit is the fourth to find a jury assigning a multimillion dollar award to a mesothelioma victim, and there are many more cases pending as more people realize that their fatal illness may have been caused by the iconic product.
If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, ovarian cancer, or any other asbestos-related illness and you need help determining where you were exposed to asbestos, we can help. Contact the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net today at 1-800-692-8608 to learn more.
