J&J Ordered to Pay $966 Million in Talc Cancer Lawsuit After Jury Verdict

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A Jury has ordered Johnson & Johnson (J&J) to pay $966 million to the family of Mae Moore, a California woman who died in 2021 from mesothelioma, after finding the company liable for her death.

According to court documents, the jury awarded $16 million in compensatory damages and $950 million in punitive damages to Moore’s family. Legal experts noted that the amount could be reduced on appeal, as the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that punitive damages should typically not exceed nine times the compensatory amount.

Moore’s family filed the lawsuit in 2021, alleging that J&J’s talc-based baby powder contained asbestos fibers that caused her rare cancer. Mesothelioma is primarily associated with asbestos exposure.

In response, Erik Haas, J&J’s global vice president of litigation, said the company will appeal the decision, calling the verdict “egregious and unconstitutional.” He argued that the plaintiffs’ case relied on “junk science” that should not have been allowed in court. J&J continues to insist its talc products are safe, asbestos-free, and non-carcinogenic.

J&J discontinued its talc-based baby powder in the United States in 2020 and replaced it with a cornstarch-based alternative.

Trey Branham, one of the attorneys representing Moore’s family, said the verdict sends a powerful message: “We’re hopeful that Johnson & Johnson will finally take responsibility for these needless deaths.”

The company is currently battling more than 67,000 lawsuits alleging its talc products caused cancer. While most claims involve ovarian cancer, a smaller number like the Moore case allege mesothelioma caused by asbestos exposure.

J&J has tried multiple times to settle the claims through bankruptcy proceedings, but federal courts have rejected its proposals. Mesothelioma-related cases were not part of the company’s most recent bankruptcy plan, leading many of those lawsuits to proceed to trial in state courts.

In the past year, J&J has faced several large verdicts in mesothelioma cases, though it has also won some trials such as a recent case in South Carolina where the jury ruled in its favour. The company has succeeded in reducing or overturning some awards on appeal, including a case in Oregon where a judge vacated a $260 million verdict and ordered a new trial. Monday’s ruling, however, stands as one of the largest awards to date against the company in its ongoing talc litigation.

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