Philadelphia Jury Returns $250,000 Verdict Against J&J in Latest Baby Powder-Ovarian Cancer Trial
Source: Busines Wire
Feb 13, 2026 4:18 PM Eastern Standard Time
PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A jury in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas has found Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) responsible for the company’s baby powder products contributing to the death of a Pennsylvania woman. The jury deliberated for more than three days before returning a verdict totaling $250,000 on behalf of the estate of York, Pennsylvania, resident Gayle Emerson, who died as a result of ovarian cancer in November of 2019 after filing her lawsuit six months earlier.
The verdict included $50,000 in compensatory damages to Ms. Emerson’s family and $200,000 in punitive damages against the company on claims of product liability, failure to warn about the products’ dangers, and negligence. According to court testimony, Ms. Emerson used J&J’s talc-based body powders for feminine hygiene for more than 45 years and was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2015 at the age of 64.
“It’s important to note that this jury found J&J’s product and corporate conduct directly responsible for the death of Ms. Emerson. While the jury’s award is less than we hoped, and significantly less than the amount necessary to punish J&J for their outrageous conduct, we are moving forward. Our legal system is once again able to resume holding this giant company accountable for the death and devastation it has caused,” says Leigh O’Dell of the Beasley Allen Law Firm, who tried the case with David Dearing of Beasley Allen and Richard Golomb of Golomb Legal. “The evidence is clear that the company knew that its talc-based products were routinely contaminated with asbestos and other carcinogens but chose to deny and cover up that knowledge for decades. In addition, we will also review the trial record and consider appropriate avenues for post-trial motions.”
The trial was the first of several scheduled to be tried in 2026 in courts across the nation on similar claims, including more than 70,000 lawsuits currently consolidated in multidistrict litigation in New Jersey federal court. The initial bellwether trial in that MDL is expected to be tried later this year.
Read more: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260213785015/en/Philadelphia-Jury-Returns-%24250000-Verdict-Against-JJ-in-Latest-Baby-Powder-Ovarian-Cancer-Trial
