Johnson & Johnson on the Hook for Over $1.5 Billion in Historical Talc Lawsuit Verdict
Johnson & Johnson may be on the hook for another massive payout after the success streak continues for people who filed talcum powder lawsuits.
On Monday, a Baltimore jury ordered the company and its subsidiaries to pay more than $1.5 billion to a woman who claimed she developed mesothelioma after using J&J’s talcum powder products. That staggering sum is believed to be the largest verdict ever awarded to a single plaintiff in a J&J talc lawsuit.
The verdict included about $60 million in compensatory damages, which are meant to cover issues like medical expenses or pain and suffering. On punitive damages, which are meant to punish the defendant, the jury awarded another $1.5 billion.
J&J plans to appeal the verdict and will likely attempt to get the payout reduced or overturned entirely.
As More Talc Lawsuits Advance to Trial, Wins Mount for Plaintiffs
It has been a positive few weeks for the tens of thousands of people who have filed lawsuits over claims that J&J’s baby powder is tied to certain cancers.
Monday’s verdict came just days after a Minnesota jury awarded $65.5 million to a plaintiff in a similar case. That trial involved a 37-year-old mother who developed mesothelioma after using talc products for years.
Talc mesothelioma lawsuits generally stem from claims that J&J’s once popular talcum powder may have sometimes contained asbestos. Exposure to asbestos can lead to the development of mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive cancer that can form in the lining of the lungs.
On top of those cases, the company is also facing thousands of lawsuits claiming that talc use can lead to ovarian cancer.
In a landmark win for plaintiffs on that front, J&J was ordered to pay $40 million in a bellwether ovarian cancer trial earlier this month.
J&J had previously attempted to resolve the thousands of ovarian cancer lawsuits through multibillion-dollar talc settlements. But as those settlement attempts failed, the company eventually vowed to return to the trial system to combat these claims.
“The Company reiterates that none of the talc-related claims against it have merit,” J&J said in a statement when its last settlement attempt fell short earlier this year.
But with plaintiffs notching a key win in the first bellwether trial and more ovarian cancer cases expected to go before juries over the next few months, J&J’s litigation strategy will be worth monitoring in the coming year.
