Johnson & Johnson faced with $417m payout after latest consumer lawsuit
US consumer goods giant Johnson & Johnson has been ordered to pay a customer $417m after she claimed to have developed ovarian cancer after using the company’s products.
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In a verdict reached by the Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday, the jury agreed with Eva Echeverria’s claim that there was a lack of adequate warning about Johnson’s talcum-based products.
The company, which has a market capitalisation of over $358bn, is facing thousands of similar claims throughout the US.
Lawyers for Echeverria said that Johnson encouraged women to use their products without warning of any carcinogenic features.
"We are grateful for the jury's verdict on this matter and that Eva Echeverria was able to have her day in court," Mark Robinson, her lawyer, said in a statement.
J&J were adamant that they would appeal the decision, with hundreds of further cases in California likely to be furthered by the decision.
"We will appeal today's verdict because we are guided by the science," Carol Goodrich, spokesperson for J&J said in a statement.
The company’s stock was down 0.34% in pre-market trading on Wall Street on Tuesday.