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A jury in St. Louis found Thursday that
Johnson & Johnson
is expected to pay $ 4.69 billion in damages to 22 women and their families who have reported ovarian cancer cases on asbestos in the iconic baby powder. company, the biggest verdict in this case.
J & J stated that he was "deeply disappointed" by the verdict, which, according to the company, was the product of a "fundamentally unfair process." "And provides for appeal."
Punitive damages, particularly those which often exceed compensatory damages, are often reduced by the trial judge or overturned on appeal.
J & J has managed to overturn many jury verdicts, sometimes for technical reasons. Last month, a Missouri Court of Appeal dismissed a $ 55 million verdict against J & J, finding the South Dakota jury incompetent.
Compensatory Damages Granted by the Jury in Court of Missouri surpassed the $ 417 million last year, although this lawsuit involved only one plaintiff.
The latest verdict is the first in a series of lawsuit for personal injury both the theory of some applicants that asbestos contained in J & J's talcum powder can cause ovarian cancer
. The six week trial that asbestos fibers mixed with talc used to make Johnson's Baby Powder entered the bodies of women who had been using the product every day for decades for the first time. feminine hygiene. Six of the complainants were dead.
"If J & J insists on continuing to sell talc, they should report it with a serious warning"
Mark Lanier,
Plaintiffs' lawyers argued that talc causes mesothelioma in other cases, including a California trial in which a jury awarded a woman $ 25.75 million and a South Carolina case that ended in a hung jury.
The science of a link between talcum powder and cancer is uncertain. The American Cancer Society says that some studies looking into whether the powder can cause cancer in the ovaries showed a slight increase in risk, while others found no increase.
J & J officials claim that scientific journals fail evidence to support a link and the company does not need to add a warning about a cancer risk higher.
The company decided to fight on a case by case basis, although it tried to pass the reminders, the government investigations and various lawsuits on various products. J & J is now preparing to launch a revamped range of Johnson & # 39; s Baby products, including powder.
Write to Jonathan D. Rockoff at [email protected] and Sara Randazzo at [email protected]
Appeared in the print edition of July 13, 2018 as "J & J hit by $ 4,7 Billion Verdict in a powder case.
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