A California state jury recently heard opening arguments in a new talcum powder asbestos cancer trial brought by a 48-year old woman who claims she developed her serious form of cancer after years of using talc-based products produced and marketed by the defendant. The mesothelioma cancer lawsuit claims pharmaceutical and cosmetics giant Johnson & Johnson knew its talcum powder products were contaminated with asbestos fibers but provided no warning to consumers about the dangers associated with using its products.
Attorneys for the plaintiff told jurors that for decades, the plaintiff was exposed to asbestos fibers in Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower and that was the cause of her developing mesothelioma cancer. Johnson & Johnson, on the other hand, maintained that despite the overwhelming evidence showing the company knew its products have tested positive for asbestos, those products are safe for consumers and not to blame for the plaintiff’s condition.
The trial comes just weeks after a Los Angeles jury handed down a substantial $40.3 million verdict to a plaintiff and her husband alleging the victim’s mesothelioma cancer was also caused by exposure to asbestos fibers in Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder. That latest lawsuit is just one of many that together have produced over $5 billion in total compensation to dozens of plaintiffs across the country who claim their cancer diagnoses were due to asbestos exposure from decades of using Johnson & Johnson’s talc-based products.