NEW JERSEY – A New Jersey jury returned a verdict in the amount of $37.3 million dollars against Johnson and Johnson for combined compensatory damages brought by four mesothelioma claimants. The verdict came after three days of deliberations in a trial that lasted almost two months. The jury was tasked with determining whether Johnson and Johnson’s talc products contained asbestos and whether the plaintiffs’ exposures were a substantial contributing factor in causing their peritoneal mesothelioma. The jury also heard testimony over differing positions regarding asbestos testing performed on talc that came from talc mines and Johnson and Johnson’s finished product line as well as expert medical testimony.
During closing arguments, Judge Ana C. Viscomi struck closing arguments of defense attorney Diane Sullivan after her insinuation that the plaintiffs’ counsel had “created” evidence.