By Amanda Bronstad, From The National Law Journal

Johnson & Johnson lost another verdict over claims that the use of talcum powder caused a woman’s ovarian cancer after a jury in Missouri awarded $55 million on Monday.

The verdict comes after another Missouri jury on Feb. 22 awarded $75 million in the first award against Johnson & Johnson over talcum powder’s links to ovarian cancer.
Monday’s award, by a jury in St. Louis state court, included $50 million in punitive damages to Gloria Ristesund, 62, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2011 after using Johnson & Johnson’s talc product for 40 years, according to a spokeswoman from Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles of Montgomery, Alabama, which represented the women in both cases.

A Johnson & Johnson spokeswoman wrote in an email that the company planned to appeal the verdict.

“Unfortunately, the jury’s decision goes against 30 years of studies by medical experts around the world that continue to support the safety of cosmetic talc,” wrote spokeswoman Carol Goodrich. “We understand that women and families affected by ovarian cancer are searching for answers, and we deeply sympathize with all who have been affected by this devastating disease with no known cause.”

Both trials came out of a single case that involves more than 60 plaintiffs. The first award, granted to the family of Jacqueline Fox, included $62 million in punitive damages.

IMAGE: Thitaree Sarmkasat

For more on this story go to: http://www.nationallawjournal.com/id=1202756570450/JampJ-Hit-With-55M-Verdict-in-Another-Big-Loss-over-Talcum-Powder#ixzz47hBOPcXa