The Woman at the Center
Gayle Emerson, a Philadelphia native and tax preparer, died in 2019 after filing suit. Her estate pursued the claims following her death, becoming part of the city’s consolidated talc litigation.
Emerson and her estate were represented by Leigh P. O’Dell, David P. Dearing, Ted G. Meadows and Ryan Beattie of Beasley Allen Law Firm, along with Richard M. Golomb and Kevin W. Fay of Golomb Legal.
Johnson & Johnson was represented by Shaila Diwan of Kirkland & Ellis LLP, Michael A. Brown of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP, and Chanda Miller, Thomas E. Hanson Jr., and Rebecca Trela of Barnes & Thornburg LLP.
As the courtroom emptied and the jury’s message echoed through Philadelphia’s long-running talc litigation, the $250,000 award signaled a renewed pulse in a docket that had sat dormant for years — a reminder that even after delays and detours, accountability claims can return to center stage.
