Jury awards Maryland woman more than $1.5B in talc lawsuit
A Maryland woman, Cherie Craft, was awarded over $1.5 billion by a jury after alleging Johnson & Johnson’s talc products caused her mesothelioma.Summary
A Baltimore jury awarded Cherie Craft, a Maryland resident, over $1.5 billion in damages after she sued Johnson & Johnson (J&J), claiming their talc-based personal care products caused her to develop mesothelioma. The jury awarded $1.5 billion in punitive damages and over $59.8 million in compensatory damages. Craft’s lawyers argued she developed peritoneal mesothelioma after decades of using J&J’s talcum powder, alleging exposure to asbestos due to fraudulent misrepresentation or concealment of safety information by J&J. J&J, which has faced similar litigation and has ceased using talc in its baby powder since 2023, plans to appeal the verdict, calling it “egregious” and “patently unconstitutional,” and claiming the lawsuits are based on “junk science.” They maintain their talc products are safe and asbestos-free. Craft’s legal team believes this is the largest verdict ever awarded against J&J for a single plaintiff, stating her cancer was “preventable.”
(Source：Pennlive)