Talc-Asbestos Case Ends With an $80 Million Punitive Award

Talc-Asbestos Case Ends With an $80 Million Punitive Award

Introduction

The jury overseeing the two-month-long Mesothelioma trial ordered J&J and its talc supplier to pay $80 million in punitive damages to a man and his wife seeking compensation for his diagnosis of mesothelioma (a cancer of the lung) allegedly caused by the asbestos present in the company’s Talcum Powder used over a long period.

The jury agreed that the defendants showed reckless indifference in selling their Talcum powder which contained the controversial asbestos ingredient. The total award amounts to $117 million, which includes $37 million in compensatory damages announced last week by the jury. The case was heard in the Superior Court of the State of New Jersey, County of Middlesex.