Verus will be sponsoring the Perrin Asbestos Litigation Conference on September 14-15 in Charleston, South Carolina. We are very excited to attend the event this year and we look forward to making new connections. Contact our Director of Business Development, Jac...
Litigation Update: Verdicts Against J&J and Imerys Overturned in Talc Lawsuit
On April 28, a New Jersey appeals court overturned $117 million in compensatory and punitive damages awarded to plaintiffs Stephen Lanzo and his wife, Kendra, and ordered new trials be held in the talc contamination lawsuit against defendants Johnson & Johnson and...
Litigation Update: $4.8 Million Verdict Against Talc Supplier
In the first civil jury trial in Los Angeles County since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, the jury awarded a $4.8 million verdict to a 73-year old Vietnam War veteran against talc supplier Whittaker Clark & Daniels (WCD). WCD was for decades one...
Sacklers Balk at Chapter 11 Deal Without Litigation Injunction Extension
In a statement to the bankruptcy court on March 23, the family of Raymond Sackler advised that unless the injunction shielding the Sackler family from litigation was extended, they would withdraw their proposed $4.275 billion cash contribution to the settlement fund...
As Asbestos Litigation Continues to Grow, Companies Need to Revisit Forecasts
Manufacturers and distributors of products containing asbestos, as well as the contracting firms whose tradesmen worked with materials containing the now-known carcinogen, may be at financial risk more than previously thought. The original financial risk models that...
Compare and Contrast: Artificial Classes and the Asbestos Bankruptcy Personal Injury Trust
In late September, the Sixth Circuit rejected a federal judge’s certification of an artificial class, or “negotiating class” aimed at promoting a global settlement between opioid manufacturers and various cities and counties across the United States. According to U.S....
Litigation Update: NJ Supreme Court Decision Rules on Duty to Warn for Replacement Parts
In a 5-2 split decision, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled on June 3, that manufacturers and distributors can be held liable for failing to warn of the risks of asbestos-containing replacement components even if they did not build or sell them. In the 43-page...
How Will J&J’s Move to Discontinue Baby Powder Sales Impact Its Ongoing Talc Litigation Now?
On May 19, 2020, Johnson & Johnson announced it is discontinuing North American sales of its talc-based baby powder, a product it has defended for decades in the face of lawsuits filed by consumers who say it caused cancer. This move likely would not have happened...
Litigation Update: J&J Talc Trial Continue in Missouri and New Jersey
Talc manufacturer Johnson and Johnson recently found itself in courtrooms in both New Jersey and Missouri battling in cases filed by plaintiffs who claim that the company’s talc products contained asbestos and caused their ovarian cancers. Missouri On April 24, the...
Litigation Update: Johnson & Johnson Files Motion for a New Punitive Damages Trial
In February, after a massive punitive damages verdict, Johnson and Johnson filed a motion seeking a new trial on the issue of the award as well as motions asking for judgment notwithstanding the verdict and remittitur. In its filings, J&J claimed that the...