A virtual trial conducted in Washington on May 04, 2021, alleged Johnson & Johnson's (J&J) talc cosmetic products contains asbestos, which resulted in a woman's fatal cancer.
It is one of the first virtual trials held to listen to the arguments regarding cosmetic side effects. The virtual trial is conducted as the courts have been closed since the last year because of the fear of Covid-19. The first attempt at the virtual talk with J&J was broadcast by Courtroom View Network (CVN) last year.
CVN will broadcast live and on-demand audio of the current study in Seattle. It will also record videos of the study, which will be stored as part of CVN’s test video library. Earlier, CVN reported a virtual asbestos trial in Seattle that resulted in a defense verdict.
Civil litigation is regularly conducted virtually in King County, which has made it one of the premier jurisdictions in the country. The trials conducted in King County could serve as a framework for virtual trials in other jurisdictions, drawing the attention of attorneys and judges across the country.
Attorneys stated that J&J was aware of the presence of asbestos in its talc cosmetic products, but never disclosed it in the public as it would have affected the sales of the products. The plaintiff's attorney said that overexposure to asbestos present in the talc products of J&J resulted in mesothelioma to the plaintiff.
The attorney did not even claim damages in the opening statement but informed the jury that the plaintiff underwent eleven surgeries and numerous rounds of chemotherapy and radiation due to cancer.
Attorney for J&J said that there is no scientific evidence that the company's talc products contained asbestos. He even claimed that products have been thoroughly tested and investigated over decades by scientists, but none of the conclusions supported that the products are contaminated with asbestos. The attorney even stated that J&J closely worked with federal regulators and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to validate the safety of its products. He also said that the company funded studies to determine that talc miners are not at risk of mesothelioma.
The trial is expected to take three weeks and the CVN will provide a live and on-demand audio webcast of the trial. Judge Suzanne Parisien is overseeing the trial.
