Calif. Court Rejects Plaintiff’s Motion for New Trial in Asbestos Talc Case that Ended in Defense Verdict

LOS ANGELES –– A California state court has denied a talcum powder plaintiffs’ motion for a new trial in wake of a defense verdict in favor of Johnson & Johnson, ruling that the FDA’s recent finding of asbestos in a single lot of Baby Powder was not sufficient to warrant a new trial.

In the Jan. 29 order adopting a tentative ruling, the California Superior Court for Los Angeles County opined that the state of scientific literature regarding asbestos in talc is “highly disputed,” and that the FDA’s finding does not alter the competing theories.

In October 2019, a …