Jury Adds $80 Million in Punitive Damages to Earlier $37 Million Award in Asbestos Talc Case Against J&J

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. –– A New Jersey jury has awarded an additional $80 million in punitive damages to an earlier $37 million award in a trial against Johnson & Johnson and Imerys Talc America, during which the plaintiffs accused the company of manufacturing talcum powder products that contained asbestos fibers in an amount sufficient enough to cause the plaintiff’s mesothelioma.

The New Jersey Superior Court for Middlesex County jury reached the Phase II verdict earlier today. Hon. Ana Viscomi presided over the trial, which began on Jan. 29.

Sources told HarrisMartin that the punitive award was broken down into …