Calif. Jury Awards Talc Plaintiff $76 Million; Case Settles Before Punitives Phase

OAKLAND, Calif. — A California jury has handed down a $76 million asbestos-talcum powder verdict against Whittaker Clark & Daniels Inc., finding the company’s negligence and failure to warn was a substantial factor in contributing to the plaintiff’s risk of developing cancer.

In the Dec. 9 verdict, the Alameda County, Calif., Superior Court jury found the defendant’s product “fail[ed] to perform as safely as an ordinary consumer would expect when used in an intended or a reasonably foreseeable way.”

In addition, the jury found Whittaker knew of its product’s potential risks at the time of sale, yet failed to …