Woman Receives $40.3 Million Award After Jury Agrees on Johnson & Johnson Negligence
Exposure to asbestos has long been known as the cause of malignant mesothelioma, with most victims exposed while working in high-heat, industrial settings. But the last few years has seen a notable and heartbreaking development: Asbestos contamination in cosmetic talc powder products has led to a new wave of victims who have innocently used those products throughout their lives. One such case has resulted in a California jury awarding $40.3 million to a woman who is struggling with the fatal disease.
Idaho Woman Diagnosed with Mesothelioma After Years of Talc Use
Nancy Cabibi and her husband Phil filed a mesothelioma lawsuit against consumer giant Johnson & Johnson shortly after she was diagnosed with the rare and deadly form of cancer. They accused the company of negligently allowing asbestos contamination of their talc-based product and of a failure to warn the public of the product’s dangers. The Los Angeles, California jury heard that she had used two of the company’s talc-based powders – Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower-to-Shower Body Powder – throughout her life.
Expert witnesses testified about Mrs. Cabibi’s physical condition, about the surgeries she had undergone to remove malignant tumors and about the chemotherapy, radiation therapy and immunotherapy treatments she’s undergone. They explained how asbestos leads to the development of mesothelioma and revealed that they’d found both anthophyllite asbestos and tremolite asbestos in tissue removed from Mrs. Cabibi’s body.
Johnson & Johnson Argues Against Responsibility for Woman’s Mesothelioma
Though Johnson & Johnson’s attorneys tried to blame Mrs. Cabibi’s mesothelioma on her having lived in an industrial section of Los Angeles, she testified that she’d never worked for any of the asbestos manufacturers based in the area, nor had she ever entered any of their facilities. After six days of reviewing the evidence and considering the extensive treatment she’d undergone in an attempt to extend her life, they awarded her $40.3 million dollars to compensate for her expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering and more.
This verdict reinforces a growing pattern in talc-related mesothelioma litigation, where juries are holding manufacturers accountable for failing to prevent asbestos contamination and failing to warn consumers of known risks. By rejecting Johnson & Johnson’s attempt to attribute exposure to unrelated industrial sources, the jury affirmed that lifelong consumer use of talc products can be sufficient to establish causation. For other mesothelioma victims with similar exposure histories, this case sends a clear message that cosmetic talc manufacturers may face substantial liability when evidence shows negligence and disregard for consumer safety.
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