J&J, Imerys must pay $80M punitive damages in talc-asbestos case

(Reuters) — Johnson & Johnson and an Imerys S.A. unit must pay an additional $80 million in punitive damages in a lawsuit claiming a man developed cancer due to his exposure to asbestos in talc-based products, a New Jersey state court jury said Wednesday.

The decision brings the total award to $117 million, including the jury’s verdict last Thursday that ordered the two companies to pay $37 million in compensatory damages.

The verdict by jurors in New Brunswick, New Jersey, came in the second trial nationally to focus on claims that J&J’s talc products contained asbestos as the company separately fights thousands of cases claiming they can also cause ovarian cancer.