Jury Awards $3 Million in Industrial Talc Case; Punitive Phase Begins Nov. 28

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. -- A New Jersey jury has awarded $3 million in compensatory damages to the widow of a former potter who claimed he was exposed to asbestos in industrial talc. Hirsch v. Hammill & Gillespie Inc, et al., No. MID-L-2706-03AS (N.J. Super. Ct., Middlesex Cty.).

The Middlesex County Superior Court jury's Nov. 16 verdict is believed to be the first in claims dealing with industrial talc. Industrial talc is an open-pit mined mineral that is often used in ceramic, paint and paper manufacturing, according to published reports.

Bonnie L. Parker said her husband's work with Vanderbilt's NYTAL® …