J&J Must Pay $18.8 Million in California Talc-Cancer Trial (2)

Johnson & Johnson was ordered to pay $18.8 million to a California man who blamed the company’s talcum-based powders for giving him cancer in the company’s first trial in almost two years over accusations it hid the health risks of its iconic baby powder.

Jurors in state court in state court in Oakland concluded Tuesday that J&J’s baby powder helped cause Anthony Hernandez Valadez’s mesothelioma, a specific type of cancer linked to asbestos exposure. Due to Valadez’s failing health, the case was cleared for trial as an exception to a court order putting all litigation on hold after J&J sought ...