Defendants Johnson & Johnson and Imerys, its talc supplier, have appealed the $117 million New Jersey verdict announced earlier this month and deny the presence of asbestos in their products or that their talc can cause any form of cancer.
Mid-April, the New Jersey state jury awarded $117 million to the plaintiff, which was bifurcated as $37 million in compensatory damages and $ 80 Million in punitive damages. The case was heard in the Superior Court of the State of New Jersey, County of Middlesex. The plaintiff was seeking compensation for his diagnosis of mesothelioma (a cancer of the lung) allegedly caused by the asbestos present in the company’s Talcum Powder used over a long period. The jury agreed that the defendants showed reckless indifference in selling their Talcum powder that contained the controversial asbestos ingredient.
