The $4.69 billion ovarian cancer jury verdict against Johnson & Johnson could—if upheld—drive smaller talc companies to fight these cases tooth-and-nail in order to stay alive, defense counsel told Bloomberg Law.
“The plaintiffs succeeded for the first time blaming asbestos for ovarian cancer, which results in 700 percent more deaths annually than mesothelioma,” Stephen Hoke with Hoke LLC in Chicago said.
Hoke is a defense attorney focused on talc and asbestos insurance.
“This threat is existential,” and “a settlement strategy will only prolong the inevitable,” he said.
“If this doesn’t die in the appellate courts I expect to see the ...