Johnson & Johnson Found Liable in Asbestos-Related Death

Johnson & Johnson Found Liable in Asbestos-Related Death

Johnson & Johnson and two of its subsidiaries have been held liable in the asbestos-related death of Theresa Garcia, as determined by a jury in the Circuit Court of Cook County in Chicago, IL. Represented by the Dean Omar Branham Shirley attorney firm, Garcia’s family was awarded $45 million in damages.

The trial, which unfolded amidst two bankruptcy filings by Johnson & Johnson, examined Garcia’s lifelong use of talc-based Johnson’s Baby Powder and other products. The jury concluded that her exposure to asbestos in these products was the cause of her mesothelioma, a fatal cancer affecting the lining of the lungs.

Attorneys for Garcia successfully demonstrated that talc-containing products manufactured by Johnson & Johnson contained asbestos fibers. Expert testimony revealed that Garcia’s consistent use and inhalation of these products throughout her life contributed to her mesothelioma. Diagnosed in January 2020, Garcia passed away in July of the same year.

In response to the verdict, attorney Ben Adams from Dean Omar Branham Shirley stated, “Ms. Garcia’s case was delayed by several years when Johnson & Johnson filed two bad faith bankruptcies in an attempt to avoid the decades of liability it now faces. During the pendency of those bad faith bankruptcies, Johnson & Johnson engaged in a corporate shell game creating Kenvue, Inc. The Cook County jury found that Kenvue is responsible for 70% of Mrs. Garcia’s injuries and death as the successor in interest to Johnson & Johnson. The jury also put 15% of the responsibility on Johnson & Johnson and 15% on Johnson & Johnson Holdco, Inc.”

Last year, Johnson & Johnson spun off its consumer products business, which now operates as Kenvue.

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