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The verdict comes in the first mesothelioma trial in Alameda County Superior Court.
March 13, 2019 at 08:08 PM
2 minute read
The original version of this story was published on The Recorder
Johnson & Johnson got hit Wednesday with a $29 million verdict in a case in which a California woman claimed she got mesothelioma after using its baby powder as a base for makeup or dry shampoo.
The verdict, announced Wednesday afternoon, excludes punitive damages but awards $24 million in noneconomic damages to Teresa Leavitt, who was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2017, according to coverage of the trial by Courtroom View Network. The jury's finding comes one day after a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee heard testimony about the safety concerns surrounding cosmetic talc.
Plaintiff's lawyer Joseph Satterley of Kazan, McClain, Satterley & Greenwood represented Leavitt, and her husband Dean McElroy, of San Leandro. His team, which includes firm colleague Denyse Clancy as well as Moshe Maimon of Levy Konigsberg in New York, won a $117 million verdict last year in New Jersey.
The trial was the first in Alameda County Superior Court.
Michael Brown, of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough in Baltimore, represents Johnson & Johnson, which the jury found was 98 percent liable for the award. Brown is working with firm colleague Scott Richman, and several lawyers from Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe.
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