N.J. Judge Refuses to Set Aside $117 Million Verdict in Asbestos Talc Case

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. –– A New Jersey state judge has denied motions by Johnson & Johnson and Imerys Talc America to set aside a $117 million verdict in a case in which the plaintiffs accused the companies of manufacturing talcum powder products that contained asbestos fibers.

In a June 29 order, Judge Ana Viscomi of the Middlesex County Superior Court let stand the verdict, which consists of $30 million in compensatory damages, $7 million in loss of consortium damages and $80 million in punitive damages.

Johnson & Johnson was allocated 70 percent liability in the compensatory damages phase of …