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Pharmaceutical giant, Johnson & Johnson, has been ordered to pay $4.62 in damages to 22 women who sued the company after alleging that their ovarian cancer was caused by using the company’s powder as a part of their daily feminine hygiene routine.
A St. Louis jury gave the award after an eight-hour deliberation on Thursday. The award includes $550 million in compensatory damages and $4.14 billion in punitive damages.
It’s the largest verdict against the company that has sold Baby Powder and Shower to Shower brand talcum powder for decades.
The jurors sat through weeks of testimony listening to experts who explained the complicated science, workers at Johnson & Johnson who said their product was safe. They also heard from the cancer survivors themselves and the loved ones of six plaintiffs who have died from their cancer.
After the ruling, Johnson & Johnson said in a statement that it is confident its “products do not contain asbestos and do not cause ovarian cancer,”
The company said it is disappointed with the latest verdict plans to file an appeal.
“Every verdict against Johnson & Johnson in this court that has gone through the appeals process has been reversed and the multiple errors present in this trial were worse than those in the prior trials which have been reversed.”