Why J&J has been fined $966M in the US
What's the story
Johnson & Johnson has been ordered by a Los Angeles jury to pay $966 million to the family of a woman who died from mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer. The ruling comes after the jury found the company liable in the trial linking its talc products to cancer. The family of Mae Moore, an 88-year-old California resident who died in 2021, had sued J&J that same year.
Verdict details
J&J to appeal decision, calls verdict 'unconstitutional'
The jury fined J&J $16 million in compensatory damages and a staggering $950 million in punitive damages. Erik Haas, J&J's global VP of litigation, said the company plans to appeal the decision. He called the verdict "egregious and unconstitutional," adding that "the plaintiff lawyers in this Moore case based their arguments on 'junk science' that never should have been presented to the jury."
Product safety
J&J stopped selling talc-based baby powder in 2020
Despite the ruling, J&J maintains that its products are safe and do not contain asbestos or cause cancer. The firm stopped selling talc-based baby powder in the US in 2020, switching to a cornstarch product instead. Mesothelioma has been linked with asbestos exposure. Trey Branham, an attorney for Moore's family, expressed hope that "Johnson & Johnson will finally accept responsibility for these senseless deaths."
Ongoing litigation
Over 67,000 lawsuits filed against J&J
J&J is currently facing over 67,000 lawsuits from plaintiffs who claim they developed cancer after using baby powder and other talc products. Most of these cases are related to ovarian cancer claims, with mesothelioma cases being a small subset. The company has tried to settle the litigation through bankruptcy but has had three proposals rejected by federal courts.
Settlement history
Mesothelioma cases going to trial
While J&J has settled some mesothelioma claims, it hasn't reached a nationwide settlement. As a result, many mesothelioma lawsuits have gone to trial in state courts in recent months. In the past year, J&J has faced several major verdicts in mesothelioma cases, but Monday's ruling is one of the largest. The company has successfully reduced some awards on appeal, including a $260 million verdict that was overturned by a state judge in Oregon.