BASF, Cahill Law Firm to Pay $72.5 Million in Talc-Scam Deal (5)

BASF SE, the world’s biggest chemical maker, and a law firm agreed to pay a combined $72.5 million to resolve claims they hid evidence that certain talc products contained asbestos in an effort to scuttle thousands of lawsuits.

Executives of BASF, along with lawyers from the New York-based Cahill, Gordon & Reindel LLP, agreed to the joint settlement, without saying how much each would pay, according to a filing Thursday in federal court in New Jersey. Including legal fees and other costs, the total value of the settlement is almost $100 million, the filings say.

BASF unit Engelhard ...