A Minnesota jury awarded $65.5 million on Friday to Anna Jean Houghton Carley, a 37-year-old mother of three, who claimed that long-term use of Johnson & Johnson's talcum products exposed her to asbestos and contributed to her developing mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive cancer affecting the lungs.
The verdict came after a 13-day trial at Ramsey County District Court, where Carley's legal team argued that the company sold and promoted talc-based products despite knowing they could be contaminated with asbestos.
