J&J's $223.8M talc powder case fine overturned
The Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division overturned on Tuesday the verdict that required Johnson & Johnson to pay $223.8 million in damages to four plaintiffs who claimed their cancer was caused by asbestos exposure in talc powder products.
The judges found that the experts failed to explain the facts or methods used to support their claims. The jury had initially awarded $37.2 million as compensatory damages and a staggering $750 million as punitive damages, but the latter amount was automatically reduced to $186.5 million according to state law regulations.
Previously, the company was ordered to pay $8.9 billion over its Johnson's Baby Powder to plaintiffs victims for cancer-related damages, but the company defended its product's safety, asbestos-free status, and lack of cancer-causing properties.