Fortune reports that a jury in Missouri has awarded $65 million in punitive damages and $2.5 in compensatory damages against Johnson & Johnson, in favor of a woman who claims J&J’s baby powder caused her to develop ovarian cancer.
This is the third time a Missouri jury has returned a huge verdict against Johnson & Johnson based on claims that its talc-based powders caused ovarian cancer. The company has appealed the other two verdicts and plans to appeal this one too. It seems unlikely that the 26-to-1 ratio of punitive damages to compensatory damages in this case could survive post-trial motions and appeal.