A New Jersey jury today ordered Johnson & Johnson and its main talc supplier to pay $80 million in punitive damages to a mesothelioma victim who claimed he contracted the asbestos-related cancer from years of using Johnson’s baby powder.
Capping a 2½-month trial just blocks from Johnson & Johnson’s world headquarrters in New Brunswick, N.J., the decision brought total damages awarded Stephen Lanzo III, a 45-year-old investment banker, and his wife Kendra, to $117 million. The jury last Thursday awarded $37 million in compensatory damages to the couple. About 70 percent of the damages were assessed against Johnson & Johnson Consumer Cos., Inc., a J&J subsidary, and about 30 percent against Imerys Talc America, Inc.