A 76-year-old woman and her husband were awarded $52.1 million in damages by a California jury that agreed that her malignant mesothelioma was caused by exposure to asbestos in Avon cosmetic products. The jury assigned a percentage of blame to another defendant, a forklift maker for whom her husband had worked.
Product Manufacturers Accused of Negligence and Fraud by Mesothelioma Victim
The mesothelioma lawsuit was filed by Rita-Ann Chapman and her husband Gary against Avon and Hyster-Yale Group, Inc. They pointed to talc and asbestos in the Avon products she’d used since she was 8 years old, and on asbestos from the brakes, clutches, and gaskets that Mr. Chapman had worked with and unknowingly carried home on his work clothes, which Rita-Ann had laundered.
The mesothelioma lawsuit featured damning testimony against both companies. The jury learned that, rather than disposing of products that it knew contained high levels of asbestos, Avon had continued selling the products for 103 days. As for the forklift manufacturer, they were shown to have continued selling asbestos-contaminated parts until 2003 despite having known of its dangers, and of purposely destroying documentation of their knowledge once lawsuits began being filed against them. Hyland also removed asbestos warnings from brake suppliers before passing the products on to customers.
Jury Was Asked for Mesothelioma Damages Award that Would Mean Something to Avon
The $52.1 mesothelioma award included monetary damages of $40 million, 90% of which was assigned to Avon Products and 10% of which was assigned to Hyland. The attorneys representing the victim asked the jury to assign punitive damages that would mean something to Avon, and the jury decided that an additional $10.3 million was appropriate.
While Avon has defended its products and says that it will appeal the mesothelioma verdict, it is notable that it stopped selling talc-based products two years ago. The company has been named as a defendant in hundreds of lawsuits accusing its talc of leading to significant health issues.
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related illness after using talc-based products, the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net have the information you need. Contact us today at 1-800-692-8608.
