A cancer patient on Friday asked a U.S. bankruptcy court to dismiss the long-running bankruptcy of a Georgia-Pacific subsidiary, arguing that it serves no purpose other than to prevent asbestos-related lawsuits from proceeding in other courts. The bankruptcy case began in 2017, when Georgia-Pacific, a unit of industrial conglomerate Koch … [Read more...]
Avon Hit With $40 Million Verdict in California Talc Lawsuit
Avon Products Inc. was ordered by a California jury to pay $10.3 million in punitive damages to a woman who blamed her cancer on talc in its cosmetics, in the first such case the company has lost in US litigation. The Los Angeles Superior Court jury that punished Avon Friday for hiding the risks that some of its talc-based powders can cause … [Read more...]
J&J, 2-stepping through talc litigation, faces fresh claims it hid workers’ asbestos exposure
Johnson & Johnson’s yearslong talc litigation saga has taken an unexpected turn. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Michael Kaplan this week denied J&J’s bid to block a lawsuit [ in the talc litigation ] accusing the company of hiding evidence that its industrial talc operations exposed workers to asbestos, Bloomberg first reported. Decades back, … [Read more...]
Appeals court reinstates suit by Solano County woman against Johnson & Johnson over baby powder
A state appeals court reinstated a lawsuit Tuesday by the widow of a Solano County man who died of cancer after using Johnson & Johnson talcum powder for most of his life. A judge had dismissed the suit by Douglas Strobel and his wife, Jo Ann Strobel, saying their medical witnesses had no firsthand evidence that the talcum in J&J’s Baby … [Read more...]
Court upholds award to family of worker who died of asbestos exposure
The South Carolina Supreme Court [in August 2021] upheld a $16 million jury award to the family of a maintenance worker at a polyester fiber plant who died following years of asbestos exposure. Hystron Fibers Inc., owned by defendant CNA Holdings, hired Daniel Construction Co. in 1965 to build a plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina. When the … [Read more...]
Dying Patients Denied Justice Amid COVID-Related Court Delays
Terminally ill plaintiffs, who were supposed to be guaranteed expedited trials in light of their deteriorating medical conditions, are still waiting for their day in court, according to an NBC Bay Area investigation. [ Terminally ill plaintiffs ] who are dying are supposed to be granted preferential treatment when it comes to scheduling their … [Read more...]
Chemical Firm BASF and Its Law Firm to Pay $72.5M to Close Talcum-Asbestos Claims
BASF SE, the world’s biggest chemical maker, and a law firm agreed to pay a combined $72.5 million to resolve claims they hid evidence that certain talc products contained asbestos in an effort to scuttle thousands of lawsuits. Executives of BASF, along with lawyers from the New York-based Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP, agreed to the joint … [Read more...]
Private Settlement Reached in Mesothelioma Case
A private settlement was reached in a mass litigation asbestos case [on July 28, 2020] in Ohio County [(West Virginia)] Circuit Court, meaning a trial set to take place at The Highlands Event Center next week won’t be necessary. Both Ohio County Clerk of Courts Brenda Miller and court employees for Judge Ronald Wilson said details of the … [Read more...]
Montana Supreme Court: BNSF Not Shielded from Liability in Libby Asbestos Cases
In a unanimous decision, the Montana Supreme Court on Wednesday determined that BNSF Railway Company is not shielded from liability for its role in spreading [ asbestos dust ] in the Northwest Montana town of Libby, where hundreds of people have died and thousands more are sick due to exposure. Facing hundreds of asbestos-related damage claims … [Read more...]
Statute of Repose Bars Asbestos-related Claim by Former Power Plant Worker
The estate of a career pipefitter who died from mesothelioma recently lost an appeal on claims that asbestos exposure caused his cancer and the exposure, in the course of his employment, violated the state’s safe place statute. [ This was an appeal of the trial court’s ruling that plaintiff’s complaint was barred by the Wisconsin construction … [Read more...]