Johnson & Johnson must pay $29 million to a dying California woman who blamed asbestos-tainted talc for causing her cancer, the company’s latest loss over its iconic baby powder.
Jurors in state court in Oakland, California, on Wednesday held J&J responsible for Teresa Leavitt’s mesothelioma, a cancer linked to asbestos exposure. The panel, which included a lawyer and a state-court judge, also found the world’s largest maker of health-care products didn’t warn Leavitt its baby powder was tainted with the carcinogen.
The verdict is J&J’s seventh trial loss over claims it hid the health risks of its baby powder for 50 years. It’s the first defeat since a Missouri jury ordered the company last year to pay $4.69 billion to 22 women who blamed their cancer on the product.
Kim Montagnino, a spokeswoman for J&J, didn’t immediately respond to a call and email seeking comment on the verdict against the company.
J&J still faces more than 13,000 lawsuits claiming its 135-year-old baby powder line caused mesothelioma and ovarian cancer. That’s up from more than 11,000 as of last year. It has more than two dozen trials scheduled around the U.S. this year.
Topics California
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.
Owner of Assisted Living Home Where 10 Died in Fire Denied Access to Insurance Funds 
20,000 AI Users at Travelers Prep for Innovation 2.0; Claims Call Centers Cut 
Florida Board Drafting Rules That Could Stem Bogus Engineering Reports in Claims 
Accuweather: Winter Storm to Cause Up to $115B in Damage, Economic Losses 
