Illinois Jury Awards $24.4 Million at Conclusion of Asbestos Cosmetic Talc Case Against Avon Products

CHICAGO –– An Illinois jury has awarded $24.4 million at the conclusion of an asbestos trial involving cosmetic talc, finding Avon Products Inc. at fault for a former janitor’s development of mesothelioma.

The Illinois Circuit Court, Cook County, jury reached the verdict on July 26. The $24.4 million award included $1 million in punitive damages, according to published reports.

Hon. Scott McKenna presided over the trial.

The claims were asserted on behalf of Cipriano Ramirez, who allegedly worked as a janitor at Avon’s Morton Grove, Ill., facility in the 1980s. Ramirez later developed mesothelioma, that the plaintiffs argued was caused …