<div id="readability-page-1">* Jury awards $1.5 billion to Cherie Craft for talc-related cancer * J&amp;J plans to appeal, calling the verdict &#34;egregious&#34; and &#34;unconstitutional&#34; * J&amp;J faces over 67,000 lawsuits related to talc products and cancer claims By Mrinmay Dey Dec 22 (Reuters) - A Baltimore jury ordered Johnson &amp; Johnson ( JNJ ) and its subsidiaries to pay over $1.5 billion to a woman who claimed decades of exposure to asbestos in the company's talc-based products caused her peritoneal mesothelioma, a form ‌of cancer. Jurors in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, Maryland, on Monday found the company, two of its subsidiaries and spinoff Kenvue ( KVUE ) liable for failing ​to warn plaintiff Cherie Craft that its baby powder contained asbestos. Johnson &amp; Johnson ( JNJ ) said it will appeal the jury's ‍decision, which the plaintiff's law firm said was the largest-ever sum awarded against J&amp;J ⁠for a single plaintiff. The award ⁠to Craft, who was diagnosed with mesothelioma in January 2024, includes $59.84 million in compensatory damages and punitive damages of $1 billion against J&amp;J and $500 million against ‌Pecos River Talc - a J&amp;J subsidiary, according to court documents. ​The case follows a California jury decision earlier in December that awarded $40 million to two women who said the company's baby powder was to blame for their ovarian cancer. Peritoneal mesothelioma ⁠is a rare cancer that develops in the lining ‍of the abdomen ​and abdominal organs. It is most often linked to asbestos exposure. While there is no cure, treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy, and palliative care can help manage symptoms and improve quality of life. &#34;Cherie ‍Craft runs a non-profit where she pours her life into helping others. Her cancer was preventable. She used Johnson's Baby Powder every day of her life until she was diagnosed with cancer,&#34; said Jessica Dean, a partner at Dean Omar Branham Shirley, which represented Craft. &#34;J&amp;J refused to accept any responsibility and fought at every turn.&#34; Johnson &amp; Johnson ( JNJ ) called the ruling &#34;egregious&#34; and &#34;patently unconstitutional.&#34; &#34;We will immediately appeal this verdict,&#34; Erik Haas, J&amp;J's worldwide vice president of litigation, said ​in a ‍statement, arguing the decision resulted from &#34;gross errors&#34; by the trial court and was &#34;squarely at odds&#34; with most talc cases in which the company has prevailed. Haas reiterated J&amp;J's position that its talc products ​are safe and do not contain asbestos, citing decades of studies. &#34;These lawsuits are predicated on junk science,&#34; he said. The company faces lawsuits from more than 67,000 plaintiffs who say they were diagnosed with cancer after using its baby powder and other talc products, a claim J&amp;J has consistently denied. It has previously sought to resolve the litigation through a proposed bankruptcy settlement that would allocate billions of dollars to claimants, but those efforts have been rejected by courts. J&amp;J stopped selling talc-based baby powder ​in the United States in 2020 and globally in 2023, switching to cornstarch-based alternatives. The Maryland verdict adds to a series of large awards against J&amp;J in talc cases, though many have been reduced or overturned on appeal. The company has set aside billions for litigation costs and settlements ‍as it continues to fight claims in courts across the country. (Reporting by Mrinmay Dey in Bengaluru; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)</div>

A Baltimore jury ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $1.5 billion to Cherie Craft for cancer linked to its talc products. J&J plans to appeal, calling the verdict "egregious" and "unconstitutional." The company faces over 67,000 similar lawsuits and has stopped selling talc-based baby powder globally. J&J maintains its products are safe, citing studies, and has set aside billions for litigation costs.

J&J vows appeal after US jury hits it with record $1.5 billion talc cancer award