A Los Angeles Jury has ordered Johnson and Johnson to pay a staggering $966 million to the family of a woman who passed away from mesothelioma, finding the firm liable in the latest trial for causing cancer through its talc products.
The family of Mae Moore, who was an 88-year-old resident from California, died in 2021 and sued the family the same year, stating that the company’s products contained asbestos fibers that led to the rare cancer.
The jury late on Monday ordered J&J to pay $16 million in compensatory damages and $950 million in punitive damages as per the court filings.
The verdict might end up getting reduced on appeal, as the US Supreme Court found that punitive damages should generally be no more than nine times the compensatory damages. Erik Haas, who is the company’s global VP of litigation, mentioned in a statement that the firm plans to immediately appeal, referring to the verdict as egregious and unconstitutional.
The plaintiff lawyers in this Moore case based their arguments on junk science that never should have been presented to the jury, Haas revealed.
The firm also shared how its products are safe and don’t feature asbestos, and don’t cause cancer. J&J stopped selling talc-based products in America in 2020 and switched over to cornstarch inside its products.