Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has been ordered to pay $15 million in damages to a Connecticut man who claims that decades of using the company’s baby powder led to his diagnosis of mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer.
The jury in Fairfield County, Connecticut, also ruled that J&J should pay additional punitive damages, with the amount to be determined by the judge overseeing the case.
Evan Plotkin, the plaintiff, was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2021 and sued J&J shortly thereafter, alleging that inhaling asbestos-tainted talc from their baby powder caused his illness.
"Evan Plotkin and his trial team are thrilled that a jury once again decided to hold Johnson & Johnson accountable," his lawyer, Ben Braly, said.
J&J plans to appeal the decision, claiming the trial judge blocked critical facts from reaching the jury. Erik Haas, J&J’s worldwide vice president of litigation, stated, “Those facts show that the verdict is irreconcilable with the decades of independent scientific evaluations confirming talc is safe.”
The ruling comes as J&J attempts to settle over 62,000 claims related to ovarian and gynaecological cancers through a $9 billion bankruptcy deal, although mesothelioma cases like Plotkin's are not affected by this arrangement.
The company withdrew its talc-based products from the US market in 2020 amid rising legal challenges over its safety.
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