A Suffolk County Superior Court jury has awarded $8 million to Janice Paluzzi, a Massachusetts woman who claimed Johnson & Johnson’s talcum powder caused her mesothelioma, rejecting the company’s argument that her illness was due to asbestos exposure from her family’s work environment.
The verdict includes $5 million for past pain and suffering and $3 million for future pain and suffering. Paluzzi testified she used J&J products—including Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower—daily from childhood. J&J had argued that Paluzzi’s asbestos exposure originated from her three sons’ work in building maintenance at the John Hancock Building in Boston.
The jury found that J&J’s talcum powder contained asbestos and that a design defect in the product substantially contributed to Paluzzi’s illness. It also concluded that J&J was negligent in the product’s design, which played a significant role in causing her mesothelioma. However, the jury did not find J&J negligent for providing warnings or breaching implied warranties.
Paluzzi was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2021, and her deposition video from July 2022 was presented during the trial. Attorneys for Paluzzi argued that expert testimony showed exact quantification of asbestos exposure was unnecessary to establish causation. Experts emphasized a qualitative approach considering exposure duration, frequency, and proximity.
The case also revealed internal documents suggesting J&J knowingly made misleading statements about the presence of asbestos in its talc products, dating back to the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Representatives for both parties were not immediately available for comment.
