June 5, 2019 — Johnson & Johnson has been ordered to pay $325 million to a woman with mesothelioma who used baby powder with asbestos.
After a 4-month trial, the jury in New York City awarded plaintiff Donna Olson and her husband $25 million for her injuries, plus $300 million in punitive damages to punish J&J for extreme wrongdoing.
Olson was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma in 2016. She was too sick to attend the trial, after a recent surgery to remove her lung.
The jury showed the jury evidence that J&J was aware of asbestos contamination in its talcum powder as early as the 1960s and 1970s.
However, instead of adding warning labels or switching to safer alternatives such as cornstarch, J&J switched testing methods and misled regulators with results from the new tests, lawyers said.
The jury concluded that Donna Olson’s mesothelioma was likely caused by years of breathing asbestos in the air when she dispensed talc from Johnson’s Baby Powder.
A spokeswoman for J&J said the company plans to appeal the verdict, as it has after a string of losses. Last summer, a jury in Missouri awarded $4.69 billion to 22 women who developed ovarian cancer after using Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower-to-Shower.
Over 14,000 lawsuits involving mesothelioma and ovarian cancer have been filed against J&J in recent years.
Do I have a Mesothelioma Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting mesothelioma induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been diagnosed with mesothelioma after using Johnson’s Baby Powder, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Disease Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
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