FILE - A bottle of Johnson's baby powder is displayed on April 15, 2011, in San Francisco. Johnson & Johnson is earmarking nearly $9 billion to cover allegations that its baby power containing talc caused cancer, more than quadrupling the amount that the company had previously set aside to pay for its potential liability.
Emory Hernandez Valadez, 24, was awarded $18.8 million — $3.8 million in economic damages and $15 million in noneconomic damages, according to theThe report, however, noted Valadez may not receive any money until the company’s ongoing bankruptcy litigation is resolved.to resolve tens of thousands of talc-powder cancer claims. A ruling on that legal maneuver is expected before Aug. 2.
Johnson & Johnson plans to appeal the verdict, according to Erik Haas, its vice president of litigation, in a statement to news outlets. “Without the benefit of that evidence, the verdict is irreconcilable with the decades of independent scientific evaluations confirming Johnson’s baby powder is safe, does not contain asbestos and does not cause cancer,” Haas said.
The report said while other cancer lawsuits had been paused due to the bankruptcy proceedings, Valadez’s suit was allowed to go forward because of his prognosis.