A 46-year-old New Jersey man who sued Johnson & Johnson and other companies after getting mesothelioma he says was caused by asbestos in baby powder has been awarded $30 million by a jury.
The jury also decided that Kendra Lanzo, Stephen Lanzo’s wife, should be paid an additional $7 million as a result of the cancer.
"While we are disappointed with this decision, the jury has further deliberations to conduct in this trial and we will reserve additional comment until the case is fully completed," Johnson & Johnson spokeswoman Carol Goodrich said in a statement.
This decision is the first to find that Johnson’s baby powder led to a diagnosis of mesothelioma, a cancer of the tissue that lines the lungs, stomach, heart, and other organs. Lanzo’s attorneys said that he contracted mesothelioma as a result of applying the company's products to his skin for more than 30 years.
The lawsuit claimed Johnson & Johnson knew its products contained asbestos but didn’t properly warn consumers. Johnson & Johnson argued that its products never contained asbestos.
Source: nj.com