The New Jersey court stated that Johnson & Johnson is not accountable in the latest cancer complaint. A man blamed the baby powder for his mesothelioma but the trial determined that J&J's talc-based products did not cause his illness.
According to Reuters, the jury in the Middlesex County Superior court voted unanimously and ruled that they cannot hold Johnson & Johnson liable for Ricardo Rimondi's, the complainant, cancer because he was not able to prove that he was exposed to carcinogen and asbestos through the use of the company's baby powder.
This is the latest case against Johnson & Johnson that was accused of selling talc-based products that can cause cancer. But while many won the lawsuit, Rimondi's case was a given a different verdict.
The lawyers of the complainant claimed during the trial that lasted for a month that Rimondi was exposed to the J&J products, particularly, the baby powder, and this led to the development of his mesothelioma, cancer that is commonly associated with asbestos.
Monica Cooper of the Lanier Law Firm represented Mr. Rimondi and she said that her team is disappointed by the verdict especially because it was already scientifically proven that Johnsons & Johnsons' talcum-based baby powder contains asbestos. The plaintiff, in this case, is just one of the 13,000 people who sued the firm for cancer.
The Lanier Firm already handled many cases and helped at least 22 women to sue J&J for their ovarian cancer. Under Cooper's representation, the jury already awarded around $4.69 billion as compensation to the plaintiffs. During these trials, the lawyer argued that J&J know that asbestos in talc is not healthy and there are risks from its use.
Johnson & Johnson are still appealing the cases and hoping the decisions would be overturned in their favor. And while there were others who won in the court battle against the pharma company, it still denies that its products were laced with asbestos.
As per CNBC, J&J noted that the jury's verdict emphasized years of clinical studies and scientific evidence done by medical experts around the world. J&J's spokesperson, Ernie W. Knewitz, said a statement via email that based on these researches, the safety of Johnsons' baby powder has already been proven.
Knewitz further stated that in the past nine cases, the jury decided in favor of J&J while five others concluded in mistrials. Apparently, the spokesman is implying that Johnson & Johnson is safe and the claims linking the baby powder to cancer are unfounded.
