One of the most high-profile lawsuits involving asbestos also just so happened to involve one of America’s most high-profile companies, Johnson & Johnson. At issue in the lawsuit was whether Johnson & Johnson’s talc-based products caused cancer among the plaintiffs who filed the lawsuit.
The plaintiffs alleged that asbestos present in Johnson & Johnson’s talc-based products — which included the company’s popular Baby Powder and Shower to Shower products — caused the development of ovarian cancer. Earlier in July of 2018, the Missouri jury in the case had already convened to decide on compensatory damages for the victims, which ultimately led the court to order Johnson & Johnson to pay at least $550 million to the 22 plaintiffs.
Next, the jury was tasked with reconvening to determine punitive damages against Johnson & Johnson. Punitive damages, for reference, are meant to exceed compensatory, actual damages for harm in order to punish the defendant for especially harmful wrongdoing. In the end, the jury chose to award the plaintiffs with a staggering $4.14 billion in punitive damages. In total, Johnson & Johnson was effectively ordered to pay $4.7 billion to the victims in this high-profile baby powder lawsuit.
During the lawsuit, evidence was presented alleging that the company knew of the asbestos contamination in its products, yet chose to conceal that knowledge from the public anyway. Additionally, it was alleged that the company paid friendly testing facilities to produce "scientific" findings that claimed the company’s talc products were free of all asbestos contamination. These findings, the lawsuit alleges, were in stark contrast to numerous scientific studies that proved the exact opposite.
In the end, the lawsuit and $4.7 billion verdict will go down in history as one of the largest product liability cases in history, according to the New York Times article covering the case.
In many respects, the most commonly discussed harm stemming from asbestos exposure is not ovarian cancer, but rather mesothelioma cancer. This deadly form of cancer’s sole known cause is asbestos exposure, which is why it should come as no surprise that mesothelioma victims who used these products have also filed legal claims against the company.
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma and used Johnson & Johnson talc-based products, discuss the facts of your diagnosis and legal claim with a mesothelioma lawyer at The Ledger Law Firm.
Our team of nationally recognized mesothelioma attorneys will investigate your claim to determine whether Johnson & Johnson or any other party is responsible for the asbestos exposure that caused your disease. Once we have the evidence to prove a causal connection between a wrongful exposure to asbestos and your disease, we will help you recover the compensation that is owed.
Contact us online today for a legal consultation and free case evaluation with a Ledger Law mesothelioma lawyer.
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