Judge Strikes BigLaw Lawyer’s Closing Argument In Case Alleging Talc Caused Mesothelioma
A New Jersey judge struck a BigLaw attorney’s closing argument for Johnson & Johnson on Wednesday in a case alleging asbestos in the company’s talcum powder caused mesothelioma in the plaintiffs’ stomach linings, reports the ABA Journal.
Judge Ana Viscomi of New Brunswick struck from the record the entire argument made by Diane Sullivan, a litigation partner with Weil, Gotshal & Manges.
According to reports, Sullivan told jurors that experts for the plaintiffs didn’t draw a connection between talcum powder and mesothelioma until they were hired by the plaintiffs. “When you don’t have evidence, sometimes you have to create it,” Sullivan said.
Viscomi said the closing argument was “replete with conduct this court has already warned you about.”
