Since this court decision, Johnson & Johnson has lost several high-profile cases. A brief trial timeline illuminating these cases and their initial settlement rewards is listed below.
- 2016: Gloria Ristesund ($55 million); Jackie Fox ($72 million); Deborah Giannecchini ($70 million).
- 2017: Lois Slemp ($110.4 million); Eva Echeverria ($417 million).
- 2018: Stephen Lanzo ($117 million); 22 Women in Missouri ($4.69 billion).
- 2019: Donna Olson ($325 million); Teresa Leavitt ($29 million).
Johnson & Johnson was recently granted a new trial against Eva Echeverria after the jury originally ordered Echeverria a $417 million settlement. The Los Angeles-based court found that there was “conflicting evidence about [J&J’s] product’s cancer links.” Despite this, the jury has acknowledged that J&J failed to warn users, including Echeverria, about the dangers associated with using its talc products.
So far in 2019, J&J has also settled three mesothelioma lawsuits over its talcum powder. Three women — Sharon Pipes, Gail Koretoff, and Jenny Shulman — used Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder for years and claimed that long-term exposure to the product caused them to develop peritoneal mesothelioma. Juries ruled in favor of all three plaintiffs, but the details of each case are disclosed in their respective confidentiality agreements.
