A California jury on [November 14, 2018] cleared Johnson & Johnson of liability in a case involving a woman who alleged that the company’s talc-based products, including its baby powder, contain asbestos and caused her cancer, the company said.
The jury in Humboldt County Superior Court in Eureka, California rejected claims by Carla Allen who said that her mesothelioma, a tissue cancer closely linked to asbestos exposure, was caused by the company’s talc products, including Johnson’s Baby Powder.
J&J denies the allegations, saying decades of scientific testing and regulatory approvals have shown its talc to be safe and asbestos-free.
Plaintiffs in the litigation allege that J&J knew of asbestos fibers in its cosmetic talc and concealed risks associated with the products.
The New Brunswick, New Jersey-based company faces some 11,700 U.S. talc lawsuits, according to an October regulatory filing. More than 9,700 of those cases involve claims over ovarian cancer, recent filings in New Jersey federal court, where most of the cases are consolidated, showed.
The remaining plaintiffs allege asbestos in J&J’s talc caused them to develop mesothelioma.
[Article continues at original source]Mesothelioma, Asbestos, and Legal Compensation: Basic Facts
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