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Asbestos

Johnson & Johnson attorneys claim conflict of interest in baby powder testing

NEW YORK – Attorneys defending Johnson & Johnson in a New York talc powder trial alleging asbestos contamination said a plaintiff expert witness who found the highest concentrations of asbestos in three baby powder bottles was provided with testing samples from the father of a plaintiff attorney---a potential conflict of interest they contend.
By John Sammon |
Asbestos

Lung specialist describes plaintiff’s ordeal in J&J mesothelioma trial; Defense pokes hole in testimony

OAKLAND – A physician lung specialist called as an expert witness by plaintiff attorneys on Thursday described for a jury the nightmare faced by plaintiff Patricia Schmitz as she goes through the progressively painful stages of mesothelioma, while defendant attorneys said the testimony was based on assumptions.
By John Sammon |

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Asbestos

Defense attorneys say star plaintiff witness flip-flopped opinion in testing lab in J&J trial

By John Sammon |
ALAMEDA – Attorneys for Johnson & Johnson and Colegate-Palmolive on Wednesday attempted to poke holes in the testimony of a star expert witness called by plaintiff attorneys, saying Dr. William Longo flip-flopped on his opinion of a testing lab used by the talc powder makers.
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Asbestos

Microscope researcher says asbestos found in both Johnson & Johnson and Colgate-Palmolive products

By John Sammon |
ALAMEDA (Legal Newsline) – A microscope researcher on Tuesday told a jury his lab had found asbestos in both Johnson & Johnson baby powder and a face powder product for adults called Cashmere Bouquet produced by Colegate-Palmolive.
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Asbestos

Microscope researcher says asbestos is in baby powder as relatives recount woman’s mesothelioma ordeal

By John Sammon |
ALAMEDA (Legal Newsline) – A microscope researcher called by attorneys representing plaintiff Patricia Schmitz on Thursday said he found asbestos in Johnson & Johnson talc powder samples while Schmitz’s relatives told a jury how mesothelioma had robbed the woman of her quality of life.
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Asbestos

Trial in Santa Monica mesothelioma case settles two days into case

By John Sammon |
SANTA MONICA - A trial to decide if plaintiff Gail Koretoff should be awarded damages for the Jonson & Johnson baby powder she claimed was contaminated with asbestos causing her to develop mesothelioma was settled out of court on Wednesday after only two days of deliberations.
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Asbestos

Mesothelioma trial opens in Santa Monica; Mother says disease first suspected to be stomach ache

By John Sammon |
SANTA MONICA - Opening remarks Monday in a trial to determine if Johnson & Johnson baby powder caused a women to develop mesothelioma pitted plaintiff attorneys who said the company had engaged in a campaign of deception to protect their profits, versus defense attorneys who contended the product was asbestos-free.
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Asbestos

Multidistrict litigation swamps courts as rules struggle to catch up; Is reform on the way?

By Daniel Fisher |
Multidistrict litigation – sprawling cases sometimes involving thousands of plaintiffs from all over the country – now represents more than half of the civil caseload in federal courts, according to a new survey, yet defendants complain the rules governing them are largely judge-made and haphazardly enforced.
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Asbestos

Johnson & Johnson, not asked to testify on talc, alleges Congressional hearing was biased against it

By John Breslin |
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – Johnson & Johnson, a company facing enormous liability concerns stemming from thousands of lawsuits that claim there is cancer-causing asbestos in its products, believes a Democrat-led House hearing on the alleged dangers of talc and consumer products was biased against it.
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Asbestos

Johnson & Johnson, not asked to testify on talc, alleges Congressional hearing was biased against it

By John Breslin |
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – Johnson & Johnson, a company facing enormous liability concerns stemming from thousands of lawsuits that claim there is cancer-causing asbestos in its products, believes a Democrat-led House hearing on the alleged dangers of talc and consumer products was biased against it.
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Asbestos

Jury finds Johnson & Johnson liable for $29.4 million in woman’s mesothelioma suit

By John Sammon |
ALAMEDA – A jury on Wednesday handed baby powder maker Johnson & Johnson a $29.4 million hit deciding that asbestos in the company’s baby powder had caused plaintiff Terry Leavitt to develop the deadly disease mesothelioma.
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Asbestos

Closing arguments held in talc trial against J&J: Was it a conspiracy or spontaneous?

By John Sammon |
ALAMEDA – Closing arguments on Monday in the trial to decide if Terry Leavitt’s mesothelioma was caused by Johnson & Johnson baby powder pitted plaintiff attorneys accusing the company of conspiracy, against defense attorneys contending Leavitt’s disease was spontaneous in nature---not from talc powder.
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Asbestos

Mineral investigator tells plaintiff attorney: No asbestos in baby powder in mesothelioma case

By John Sammon |
ALAMEDA – A minerals investigator for the Pennsylvania-based R.J. Lee Group an analytical laboratory on Tuesday denied there was asbestos in Johnson & Johnson baby powder despite presentations by the plaintiff’s attorney claiming that fibers seen in documented testing showed otherwise.
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Asbestos

Industrial hygienist says Leavitt’s asbestos exposure not more than background levels

By John Sammon |
ALAMEDA – An industrial hygienist appearing as a witness for the defense told a jury on Wednesday that plaintiff Terry Leavitt’s exposure to asbestos did not rise above what is considered background levels---the amount regulatory agencies like the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) do not consider excessive.
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Asbestos

Trial lawyers are paying millions to a handful of experts necessary to push their talc cases

By Dan Fisher |
A small group of highly paid experts, one of whom recently testified his firm has made $30 million offering mostly pro-plaintiff testimony, are the key ingredient for more than 10,000 lawsuits claiming talcum powder is laced with deadly asbestos, forming the tip of an inverted pyramid upon which the rest of the cases depend.
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Asbestos

Disease researcher testifies for Johnson & Johnson that talc powder does not cause mesothelioma

By John Sammon |
A pathologist called as a witness by attorneys defending Johnson & Johnson—in a lawsuit accusing the baby powder maker of causing a woman’s mesothelioma—said on Thursday that talc powder does not cause the disease.
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Asbestos

Plaintiff in Johnson & Johnson baby powder case tells jury about the ordeal of mesothelioma

By John Sammon |
Terry Leavitt, the woman suing Johnson & Johnson for the baby powder she claims caused her to develop mesothelioma, appeared on the witness stand Wednesday, maintaining a mostly positive demeanor but fighting back tears when talking about the impact of her disease on her family.
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Asbestos

Leavitt’s husband recounts hardships in asbestos lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson baby powder

By John Sammon |
The husband of Terry Leavitt testified on Tuesday saying that he and his two teenage children try to live one day at a time watching his wife decline from mesothelioma. Recounting the experience caused Dean McElroy at times to fight back tears.
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Asbestos

Defense attorney for J&J debunks separation method in mesothelioma trial

By John Sammon |
ALAMEDA – Attorneys defending Johnson & Johnson in the trial of a woman suing the company for allegedly causing her mesothelioma attempted to blunt criticism J&J failed to use a more comprehensive heavy-liquid testing method for detecting asbestos in baby powder, saying the method was not foolproof.
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Asbestos

Doctor for woman at trial against J&J says patient's mesothelioma incurable

By John Sammon |
ALAMEDA – A doctor brought as a witness for plaintiff Terry Leavitt said on Wednesday Leavitt has three months to live without further treatment for the mesothelioma she claims she contracted from Johnson & Johnson baby powder, but perhaps a year or longer if treated with a newly developed immunotherapy.

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