December 2018
HOUSTON – Mark Lanier’s record setting $4.69 billion verdict against Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) in St. Louis, Missouri, earlier this year has been recognized by legal media outlet Law360 as “one of the biggest and most interesting verdicts” of 2018.
The recognition comes shortly after Mr. Lanier was featured in separate articles by Reuters and The New York Times exploring Johnson & Johnson’s failure to warn consumers about the safety concerns of its talcum products.
“We are pleased this case continues to generate awareness around Johnson & Johnson’s irresponsible and greed-driven actions,” said Mr. Lanier. “What happened to the 22 women involved in the St. Louis case is heartbreaking and we believe the time has come for Johnson & Johnson to own its mistakes before more fall victim to these harmful products.”
The trial in July presented jurors with evidence that Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower products have been knowingly tainted with asbestos for decades, despite the company’s repeated denials to the federal Food and Drug Administration and others.
Prior to the St. Louis verdict, Johnson & Johnson had sought to resist most of the legal challenges that connected ovarian cancer to asbestos-contaminated talcum powder.
According to the American Cancer Institute, ovarian cancer is the fifth-leading cause of cancer deaths among women, accounting for more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system.
“Johnson & Johnson has continued to call these findings ‘junk science,’ but the evidence our firm presented during the St. Louis trial is overwhelming and undisputable,” said Mr. Lanier. “Asbestos causes cancer. The company’s talcum-products contain asbestos. How many women have to fall victim before Johnson & Johnson intervenes?”