$18 Million Mesothelioma Verdict for Talc and Secondhand Asbestos Exposure

A jury in Florida awarded a woman with mesothelioma a sizable verdict in a case of talc and secondhand asbestos exposure.

The jury ruled for $18 million in the favor of a woman who was exposed to asbestos from consumer talc products and automobile parts. She alleges her exposure occurred from her father’s and brother’s asbestos-covered clothes. They both worked at automobile repair shops.

Asbestos is a dangerous mineral. Exposure to asbestos is the only cause of mesothelioma and can also lead to lung cancer and ovarian cancer. People who worked near asbestos – along with their family members – are most at risk of these cancers.

The victim filed the asbestos exposure and personal injury lawsuit for her mesothelioma in Broward County, which includes Fort Lauderdale and some northern suburbs of Miami. She had a type of mesothelioma called peritoneal mesothelioma, which is a cancer of the lining of the abdominal cavity.

The jury found defendant Hennessy 15% liable and former talc manufacturer Johnson & Johnson 12% liable in the $18 million mesothelioma verdict. The remaining 73% was divided among 14 other companies, including Ford Motor Company, Honeywell International, Chrysler Corp., Nissan North America Inc., and General Motors Company.

 

Automobile Brakes and Asbestos

This specific mesothelioma lawsuit named Hennessy Industries, Inc., which is an automobile brake grinding-machine manufacturer, and other companies as defendants. One of the companies was former talc manufacturer Johnson & Johnson.

During the trial, an expert said grinding asbestos-containing brakes at least four times a day would expose an individual to asbestos levels exceeding any permissible standards. This testimony proves the victim’s father and brother likely were exposed to asbestos and carried the substance home on their work clothes.

The victim in the case – the sister and daughter of two former employees at an automobile repair shop – washed and folded their asbestos-ridden clothes after their work shifts. Doing laundry for clothes covered in asbestos will most certainly send the dust into the air, causing exposure in the home.

“(The plaintiff) either being present during the grinding, present during the cleanup or present during the laundry, was always exposed to greater levels of asbestos from those brakes because of the grinder, not just from handling the brakes themselves,” the plaintiff’s lawyer said.

Asbestos exposure for automobile mechanics was common during the 20th century, when asbestos was applied to brakes, clutches and gaskets. The mineral could reduce friction and prevent overheating.

However, the braking process causes asbestos dust to build up in the wheel well. When automobile mechanics work on vehicles, they often blow dust out of the wheel well. This sends asbestos fibers into the air and is a risk of exposure for mechanics.

 

Asbestos in Talc Products: Johnson & Johnson

Hennessy’s defense was that other companies – including Johnson & Johnson – were responsible for the victim’s mesothelioma. She used consumer talc products from 1960-2023.

Talc and asbestos have a close mineral relationship. They are similar chemically, and most talc deposits include at least some asbestos. Therefore, mining for talc is almost certainly to collect asbestos as well.

When talc is ground into a powder, it can absorb moisture and keep skin dry. Products such as Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder were used by mothers on their children’s skin for decades. Women also used the powder on their own skin after showering or bathing.

In 2019, FDA tests proved Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder contained stray asbestos fibers. The company faces approximately 90,000 pending lawsuits from people who used the company’s talc products and later developed cancer.

Other companies, such as Avon and Colgate, used talc in beauty products. However, Johnson & Johnson has received the most attention due to the company’s popularity, the number of consumers who have used Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder over the years, how much it has fought lawsuits, and the company’s attempts to avoid paying victims.

 

Diagnosed With Mesothelioma? Learn How You Were Exposed to Asbestos

When people are diagnosed with mesothelioma, one of their struggles is understanding the cause of their cancer. Many people do not know how they were exposed to asbestos, mostly because companies that used the substance hid this from their employees or diminished the health risks.

The secrecy by companies leaves many people who worked with asbestos – or who had loved ones work with asbestos – with heartbreaking questions about the origins of their deadly cancer.

Fortunately, asbestos exposure experts at Mesothelioma Guide have a vast and detailed database of companies that mined for, processed, and manufactured asbestos, or sold asbestos products for profit. These companies should be held accountable for their misgivings, just as Hennessy, Johnson & Johnson, and others were in the lawsuit described above.

If you or a loved one has mesothelioma – from an official medical diagnosis – we are here to help. Contact patient advocate Carl Jewett at cjewett@mesotheliomaguide.com. Carl has helped mesothelioma victims, including surviving loved ones, learn how they were exposed and file for appropriate compensation since 2008.