Johnson & Johnson must pay at least $550 million in damages to women who claimed asbestos in the company’s talc products caused them to develop ovarian cancer, a St. Louis jury said.
After reaching a unanimous verdict Thursday to award compensatory damages for 22 plaintiffs that averaged $25 million apiece, jurors will resume deliberations over how much to award in punishment damages.
The women also sued a unit of Imerys SA, which supplied the talc to J&J. Imerys Talc America settled before trial on confidential terms. The company agreed to pay at least $5 million to settle the claims, ...