Missouri trial judge refused to set aside the July verdict as per which 22 women were awarded $4.69 billion. These women have blamed the asbestos contained in the Baby powder and other products of Johnson and Johnson for their ovarian cancer.
The healthcare company is facing thousands of lawsuits related to the safety of the Baby Powder talc which has been the core of the company’s reputation. This trial was the first where it was claimed by the plaintiffs that the asbestos fibers found in J&J’s talc was responsible for the ovarian cancer.
The plaintiffs mainly relied on J&J’s unsealed internal company documents which contained the details regarding the company’s knowledge of contamination by asbestos since the 1970s. The company, which has said that asbestos was not present in the Baby Powder and was totally safe, made a statement saying that this was a formal step necessary before making an appeal against the verdict.
J&J said,
The same judge has denied similar motions on prior verdicts in his court that were ultimately overturned by the appellate courts. We are confident this verdict will also be overturned on appeal.
On Wednesday, Judge Rex Burlison said the punitive damages award as per the jury’s decision was completely justified and it was based on the reprehensible conduct of J&J which was evidenced during the trial. The company’s request for overturning the verdict was denied as the plaintiff presented sufficient evidence for supporting the jury’s verdict.
As per the jury’s verdict given in July compensatory damages of $550 million was awarded along with $4.14 billion in punitive damages. Since Friday, J&J has dropped around 13%, wiping out around $45 billion and more of its market value.
The company’s shares also fell by 2% at $127.88. The plaintiffs were truly pleased with the decision.
Source: Reuters, US News
