Jury awards $3.3M vs J&J in talc cancer case

A Suffolk County Superior Court jury in Massachusetts has awarded a $3,325,000 verdict against Johnson & Johnson in a mesothelioma lawsuit linked to the company’s talcum-based baby powder. The verdict was entered in favor of the family of Winifred “Missy” Haddad, a Massachusetts woman who developed mesothelioma after years of using the product.

Jurors found that Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder was defectively designed and that the company failed to provide adequate warnings about the product’s dangers. The jury also determined that the company’s negligence was a substantial contributing factor in causing Haddad’s mesothelioma.

Haddad was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2020 at age 66 and died approximately six months later. Her family alleged that years of exposure to asbestos-contaminated Johnson & Johnson baby powder caused her asbestos-related cancer.

The jury’s $3,325,000 award includes several components. It granted $500,000 for Haddad’s pain and suffering, $750,000 to her husband, Hani Haddad, for loss of companionship, care and affection during her lifetime, and $664,990.10 in medical expenses. An additional $1.4 million in prejudgment interest brought the total recovery for the plaintiffs to $3,325,000.

The case is captioned Haddad v. Johnson & Johnson, No. 2081CV02285, in Suffolk County Superior Court, Massachusetts. The verdict was secured on behalf of the Haddad family by national plaintiffs trial firm Dean Omar Branham Shirley, LLP.

During the trial, evidence was presented concerning Johnson & Johnson’s longstanding knowledge of asbestos contamination risks associated with talc and its failure to adequately warn consumers. Jurors concluded that the company’s baby powder, as sold, was defectively designed in a manner that contributed to Haddad’s illness.

The jury further found that inadequate warnings on Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder left consumers without sufficient information to understand the product’s potential dangers. These findings underpinned the negligence determination and the resulting monetary award to Haddad’s family.

The verdict adds to a series of significant courtroom victories obtained by Dean Omar Branham Shirley in asbestos and mesothelioma litigation nationwide. In public comments on the case, the firm described Haddad as a beloved wife, mother, nurse and writer who suffered from a preventable cancer and expressed hope that Johnson & Johnson would change its conduct.

While this case centers on one Massachusetts family, it forms part of broader talc-related litigation facing Johnson & Johnson in courts across the United States. The latest Massachusetts verdict underscores continuing legal exposure tied to allegations that asbestos-contaminated talc in the company’s baby powder contributed to serious disease.