Jury orders Johnson & Johnson to pay $750 million in New Jersey talc case
Source: Reuters
(Reuters) - Johnson & Johnson was ordered on Thursday by a New Jersey state jury to pay punitive damages of $750 million to four plaintiffs who allege that the company’s Baby Powder caused their cancer, a ruling that will be reduced to around $185 million because of state laws, according to a lawyer for the plaintiffs and the company.
During an earlier phase of the trial, a different jury held J&J liable for the plaintiffs’ cancers and awarded them $37.2 million in compensation.
Under New Jersey law, punitive damages are capped at 5 times the amount of compensatory damages, according to plaintiffs lawyer Chris Placitella.
J&J said in a statement it would quickly appeal both phases of the trial, citing “numerous legal errors that subjected the jury to irrelevant information and prevented them from hearing meaningful evidence.”
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BUSINESS NEWS FEBRUARY 6, 2020 / 3:56 PM / UPDATED 2 HOURS AGO
Lisa Girion, Michael Erman
2 MIN READ
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-johnson-johnson-talc/jury-orders-johnson-johnson-to-pay-750-million-in-new-jersey-talc-case-idUSKBN2002TI
