Johnson & Johnson resolved a woman’s claims that asbestos-laced baby powder caused her cancer [ by means of a settlement during trial ] before a California jury got a chance to consider the allegations in one of dozens of cases to go to trial.
Jurors in state court in Oakland heard more than two weeks’ worth of testimony in Linda O’Hagan’s case before Superior Court Judge Stephen Kaus announced [ the settlement during trial on January 6, 2020 ]. The terms of the settlement were not made public.
It’s unusual for J&J to settle a case mid-trial in the sprawling nationwide litigation over its talc-based product….
“In litigation of every nature there are one-off situations where [ settlement during trial ] is a reasonable alternative,” J&J spokeswoman Kim Montagnino said in an emailed statement. “The decision to resolve any particular case in no way changes our overall position that our talc is safe, is asbestos-free and does not cause cancer.”…
O’Hagan was diagnosed with mesothelioma — a cancer linked to asbestos exposure — in August 2018 and underwent treatment for the disease, her lawyers told jurors in opening arguments. Doctors had told her she probably had less than two years to live, the lawyer added.
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