Johnson & Johnson was hit with a $25 million jury verdict in a baby powder lawsuit, though the company won a similar suit in South Carolina. J&J is the defendant in thousands of baby powder lawsuits filed across the country.

In New York, two plaintiffs won $25 million in compensatory damages following a trial over whether or not Johnson & Johnson baby powder caused plaintiff Donna O.’s mesothelioma, according to Bloomberg. In addition to awarding massive compensatory damages, the jury also awarded Donna and her husband punitive damages. The amount of punitive damages will be determined at a later hearing.

Donna used Johnson & Johnson’s Shower to Shower talcum powder for 62 years — 1953 to 2015. This habitual use of baby powder products allegedly caused her to develop pleural mesothelioma, according to trial testimony.

What is Mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma, according to the Mayo Clinic, is an aggressive form of cancer that affects the lining of the body. Pleural mesothelioma, the variety that Donna suffers from, specifically affects the lining of the lungs. This cancer differs from traditional lung cancer because it does not affect the lung tissue, only the lining. Symptoms of pleural mesothelioma may include chest pain, painful coughing, shortness of breath, unusual lumps under the skin of the chest, and unexplained weight loss.

Johnson & Johnson maintains that its product did not cause Donna’s mesothelioma and blames the jury’s decision on the testimony of Donna’s microscopy expert. Expert William Longo has reportedly testified in multiple baby powder lawsuit trials, stating that he’s found asbestos in samples of Johnson & Johnson talc.

Asbestos is the only proven cause of mesothelioma. If asbestos is in Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder, this makes it possible that the talc products have caused mesothelioma in consumers. Longo’s testimony gives credence to the possibility that the baby powder products cause mesothelioma, but Johnson & Johnson claims that the expert’s testimony is false.

“This trial suffered significant legal and evidentiary errors — one of the most egregious being the demonstrably false testimony from the plaintiff’s central expert, which prompted us to move for mistrial,” the company said in a statement. “As the jury was prevented from being made aware of the falsities in his testimony, we believe these errors will warrant a reversal on appeal.”

Johnson & Johnson Wins South Carolina Baby Powder Lawsuit

Despite Johnson & Johnson’s loss in the New York court, the company secured a win in a baby powder lawsuit trial in South Carolina. In that case, the jury found that Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder was not responsible for the mesothelioma of plaintiff Beth-Anee J.

Beth-Anee was diagnosed with mesothelioma of the stomach lining and claimed that the cancer was a result of a lifetime of baby powder use. Her mother allegedly used the product on Beth-Anee several times a day when she was a baby. She testified that she continued to use the baby powder multiple times a week for more than two decades.

Johnson & Johnson argues that its win was a direct result of the company’s attorneys’ debunking Longo’s testimony, establishing that there was no asbestos in the baby powder products.

“Unlike a similar case in New York where the jury did not hear critical information regarding false testimony by the plaintiff’s central testing expert, this South Carolina jury heard that information and unanimously concluded that Johnson’s Baby Powder does not contain asbestos and was not the cause of the plaintiff’s disease,” the company said in a statement.

The Baby Powder Cancer Lawsuits are Case No. 190328/2017 in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of New York and Case No. 18-CP-40-01781 in South Carolina’s Court of Common Pleas, Fifth Judicial Circuit.