Calif. Court Requests New Jury to Decide Punitive Damages in Asbestos Talc Trial Over J&J Objections

OAKLAND, Calif. –– A California state court has ordered a new trial on punitive damages only in an asbestos cosmetic talcum powder case over the objections of Johnson & Johnson defendants, which argued that empaneling a new jury would violate due process laws.

In minutes released from a June 18 hearing, the California Superior Court for Alameda County declared a mistrial as to verdict question 24 and instructed the clerk to order a panel of 60 jurors for June 20. A pretrial conference was scheduled for June 19, with voir dire scheduled to begin June 24.

The original …