Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) and talc supplier Imerys SA may face thousands of lawsuits related to J&J’s Baby Powder after a court last week ruled in favor of a man who claimed his asbestos-related cancer was caused by use of the product, Reuters reported, citing legal experts and attorneys.
A New Jersey state court ruled the companies will have to pay out a total of US$117mln to the man.
READ: Johnson & Johnson, Imerys ordered to pay additional US$80mln in punitive damages in talc-cancer case
The plaintiff's lawyers claim that internal J&J documents seen in that trial reveal that baby powder had been contaminated with asbestos, the report said. They plan to use the documents in upcoming ovarian cancer trials to allege that the asbestos contamination also caused that form of cancer, Reuters reported.
J&J and Imerys Talc America, a unit of Imerys, have said they plan to appeal the verdict and deny asbestos has ever been present in their products or that their talc can cause any form of cancer.