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While hearing this case, an American court ordered the company to pay a fine of 8000 crore rupees to the woman's family.
A court in California, United States, has ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $966 million (approximately ₹8,000 crore) to the family of a deceased woman. The woman died of cancer, and her family alleges that she contracted the disease due to prolonged use of Johnson & Johnson's baby powder. This fine is the largest awarded to a single individual in the last 15 years.
A jury in a state court in Los Angeles delivered this verdict on Monday, holding Johnson & Johnson responsible for the death of a woman named Moore. Moore died in 2021 at the age of 88 from mesothelioma, a rare cancer typically associated with exposure to asbestos, a toxic substance. Moore's family accused the company of concealing the health risks associated with the use of its famous baby powder.
The court ruled in favour of the victim's family, ordering the company to pay them $16 million in compensatory damages and $950 million in punitive damages. Responding to the court's decision, the World Head of the company's Legal Department, Eric Haas, stated, "We will immediately appeal this horrific and unconstitutional verdict." He further added, "This verdict is starkly different from the vast majority of other talc-related cases, which we have won."
This verdict comes at a time when the company is already facing numerous lawsuits concerning its talc-based baby powder. The company removed this powder from global markets in 2023. The company has previously attempted to evade such fines by invoking bankruptcy law three times, but has been unsuccessful. Currently, over 70,000 lawsuits are pending against the company, alleging the presence of asbestos in its baby powder. The company has paid over $3 billion (more than approximately ₹25,000 crore) to date to settle such lawsuits.