March 14, 2019 — A jury in California ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay a $29.5 million to a woman who developed mesothelioma after using baby powder that contained asbestos.
The jury returned a verdict in favor of plaintiff Teresa E. Leavitt, finding that her use of baby powder was a substantial factor in her development of cancer. J&J was found 78% liable, and the company’s former talc supplier Cyprus Mines Corp. was found 20% responsible.
The jury also unanimously found that J&J failed to adequately warn Leavitt about the potential health risks of using baby powder.
In closing arguments, her attorney told the jury that J&J could have easily prevented her from suffering a “horrible asbestos disease that will result in her untimely death, a slow and painful death.”
During the trial, Leavitt testified that her mother used J&J baby powder on her as an infant in the 1960s. Leavitt continued to use baby powder and other J&J talc products as a young woman through the 1970s.
Lawyers for J&J unsuccessfully argued that Leavitt “can’t show you any science that Johnson’s Baby Powder causes cancer in anyone.”
J&J is also facing hundreds of lawsuits from women who developed ovarian cancer after using baby powder for feminine hygiene purposes. In the last trial in Missouri, J&J was hit with a record-setting $4.69 billion verdict in favor of 22 women with ovarian cancer.
The lawsuit is In RE: Leavitt v. Johnson & Johnson — Case No. RG17882401 in the Superior Court of the State of California, County of Alameda.
Do I have a Talcum Powder Cancer Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting talcum powder induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been diagnosed with mesothelioma or ovarian cancer, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Product Liability Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
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