A New Jersey appeals court overturned a $223.8 million verdict linked to asbestos exposure in Johnson & Johnson‘s talc powder products.
The verdict had been awarded to four plaintiffs who claimed they developed cancer due to exposure to asbestos in J&J’s talc products.
On Tuesday, the Superior Court of New Jersey’s appellate division concluded that a lower-court judge erred by allowing jurors to hear improper scientific testimony linking the J&J product to the four plaintiffs’ cancers, according to court filings.
Johnson & Johnson General Counsel Erik Haas said in a statement that the decision “resoundingly rejects … the ‘junk science’ advanced by purported ‘experts’ paid by the mass tort asbestos bar.”
The company said again that its talc products are safe and do not contain asbestos.
