Appeals Court Tosses $72 Million Award in Talcum Powder Case
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The Associated Press is reporting that a Missouri appeals court on Tuesday that vacated a $72 million award to an Alabama woman who claimed her use of Johnson & Johnson products that contained talcum contributed to her ovarian cancer has thrown the fate of awards in similar cases into doubt.
“The appeals court cited a Supreme Court ruling in June that placed limits on where injury lawsuits could be filed, saying state courts cannot hear claims against companies not based in the state where alleged injuries occurred. The case involved suits against Bristol-Myers Squibb over the blood-thinning medication Plavix,” writes the AP’s Margaret Stafford.
More than 1,000 plaintiffs have filed similar lawsuits in St. Louis against New Jersey-based J&J. “In four of five trials held so far, jurors awarded more than $300 million combined. Only two of the 64 cases attached to Fox’s case lived in Missouri,” according to Stafford.