A mesothelioma lawsuit in Connecticut ended with a favorable verdict for a victim against Johnson & Johnson. The jury awarded $15 million to the victim for their mesothelioma cancer diagnosis.
The victim alleges he developed mesothelioma due to using Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder for decades, from the 1950s to the early 2000s. Mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer that forms in the lining of the lungs or abdominal cavity. The victim in the lawsuit was diagnosed with the disease in 2021.
Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder is connected to mesothelioma due to the potential for asbestos contamination.
The jury in Bridgeport awarded $15 million in compensatory damages and may increase the amount with punitive damages. Compensatory damages are awarded to the victim as restitution for the harm caused by the defendant. Punitive damages are punishment for the defendant to deter other corporations from committing the same acts.
Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder and Mesothelioma
Johnson & Johnson faces tens of thousands of cancer lawsuits related to talc products such as Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder. The company is accused of the product being contaminated with asbestos, which is a cancerous mineral that causes mesothelioma, ovarian cancer and lung cancer.
Johnson & Johnson pulled its talc baby powder product from the U.S. consumer market in 2020. The company still faces more than 60,000 lawsuits because cancers caused by asbestos take 20-50 years to develop.
Johnson & Johnson is trying to get out of facing cancer lawsuits by using a bankruptcy tactic called the “Texas Two-Step.” This tactic involves the company creating a subsidiary company that files for bankruptcy. The subsidiary will shoulder all legal liabilities related to talc products. Since a bankrupt company cannot be sued, Johnson & Johnson will not be a defendant in lawsuits like the one it lost in Connecticut.
Johnson & Johnson’s third attempt to use this tactic is in progress. The first two were rejected by bankruptcy courts in New Jersey.
Other Johnson & Johnson Mesothelioma Lawsuits
Johnson & Johnson has been on the losing end of several mesothelioma verdicts. Earlier in 2024, a former process engineer was awarded $15 million in a trial held in Connecticut. In 2024 alone, Johnson & Johnson has been ordered to pay:
- $63 million as co-defendant in a South Carolina trial
- $260 million in a trial in Oregon
- $45 million as co-defendant in an Illinois trial
Johnson & Johnson also was ordered to pay $417 million at the conclusion of an ovarian cancer lawsuit.
Contact the patient advocates at Mesothelioma Guide if you have mesothelioma and used Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder in the past. You are likely entitled to asbestos compensation.
You may have used it on yourself, your child, or your parents applied it to you as a child. Asbestos in talc can be released and expose people who use the products on themselves or others. Email Carl Jewett at cjewett@mesotheliomaguide.com for help.
Sources & Author
- J&J must pay $15 million to man who says its talc caused his cancer, jury finds. Reuters. Retrieved from: https://www.reuters.com/legal/jj-must-pay-15-mln-connecticut-man-who-says-its-talc-gave-him-cancer-jury-finds-2024-10-15/. Accessed: 10/16/2024.
- Connecticut Jury Delivers $15 Million Asbestos Verdict Against Johnson & Johnson. Morningstar. Retrieved from: https://www.morningstar.com/news/business-wire/20241015237513/connecticut-jury-delivers-15-million-asbestos-verdict-against-johnson-johnson. Accessed: 10/16/2024.
