A group of 22 women who sued Johnson & Johnson alleging its talcum powder products were tainted with asbestos and contributed to the development of ovarian cancer, were awarded a staggering $4.69 billion by a St. Louis jury.

Jurors handed down $550 million in actual damages – about $25 million per woman in the suit – plus an additional $3.15 billion against Johnson & Johnson and $900 million against Johnson & Johnson Consumer. (more…)

Colgate-Palmolive Co., has reached a settlement agreement on the eve of jury selection in a trial alleging the company’s talcum powders contain asbestos and caused a man to develop mesothelioma, a deadly form of cancer caused by asbestos exposure. (more…)

Johnson & Johnson and its talc supplier Imerys Talc America Inc., were unable to sway a New Jersey state judge to nix $117 million in damages the companies were saddled with by a jury that found the companies knowingly sold asbestos-tainted talc to a man, which contributed to his mesothelioma.

Superior Court Judge Ana C. Viscomi said the $37 million compensatory damages and combined $80 million in punitive damages awarded to plaintiff Stephen Lanzo III and his wife in April “do not shock the judicial conscience,” and would stand. (more…)

Delaware’s Supreme Court reversed the dismissal of a case brought by the estate of a woman who claimed her lung cancer was caused by secondary exposure to asbestos.

Chief Justice Leo E. Strine Jr., speaking on behalf of the five-member court, found that the estate of Dorothy Ramsey could have a viable claim against the manufacturers who supplied products containing asbestos that her husband allegedly brought home on his clothes, provided that the manufacturers failed to warn of the risk. (more…)

A woman has filed a lawsuit against CBS Corp., General Electric Co., and Navistar Inc., alleging the companies exposed her late husband to asbestos, which led to the development of his deadly lung cancer.

Loretta Salvador filed the complaint individually and on behalf of the estate of her deceased husband Carl Salvador in St. Clair County Circuit Court. She claims that from 1959 to 2009 her husband was exposed to asbestos and either inhaled or ingested the carcinogenic mineral that emanated from certain products manufactured, sold, distributed, or installed by the defendants. (more…)

A 94-year-old woman who sued Johnson & Johnson over claims that use of the company’s talcum powders contributed to her mesothelioma diagnosis died, leading the California judge overseeing the case to declare a mistrial. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Stephen Moloney told the jury that as a result of plaintiff Ilene Brick’s death, the law required him to declare a mistrial. (more…)

The trial of 22 women who claim that Johnson & Johnson’s talcum powders are contaminated with asbestos and contributed to their cancer diagnoses began last week in St. Louis Circuit Court. The women claim that the consumer health care giant knew its talc-containing products, like Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower body powder, contained the carcinogen asbestos but failed to warn consumers. (more…)

Attorneys representing Johnson & Johnson urged a New Jersey state court to toss a $117 million verdict over claims that the company’s talcum powder contains asbestos and contributed to a man’s mesothelioma. The man’s lawyer fought to keep the award, accusing the consumer health care giant of reprehensible conduct. (more…)

A 94-year-old woman is suing Johnson & Johnson over claims that its talcum powder products were contaminated with asbestos and caused her to develop a rare but deadly form of cancer. The case is the latest in a string of claims accusing Johnson & Johnson of failing to warn consumers of mesothelioma risks with its talc-containing products. The consumer health care giant has repeatedly denied that its talc contains asbestos though the company has been hit in recent months with multi-million-dollar verdicts in similar cases. (more…)

A South Carolina jury deliberated for six hours, and sent numerous notes to the judge before returning without a verdict in the latest trial alleging Johnson & Johnson’s talcum powder was contaminated with asbestos and caused a 30-year-old attorney’s fatal mesothelioma. (more…)