U.S top court has rejected an appeal by Johnson & Johnson to pay $2.1 billion to women as ordered by a St. Louis jury, according to Bloomberg. The compensatory award related to alleged contamination of J&J’s baby power.
U.S Supreme Court declined J&J’s objections that its baby powder product contained cancer-causing asbestos.
J&J had objected against a 2018 finding by a St. Louis jury that its talc-based powder caused ovarian cancer among 20 women.
The St. Louis ruling required J&J to compensate each aggrieved woman $25 million, as the panel added at least $4 billion punitive damages before a state appeal reduced it.
J&J faces about 25,000 other lawsuits for its baby powder even after pulling it off from U.S and Canada shelves last year.
J&J claimed a violation of the due process clause and high punitive awards before the Supreme Court regarding the St. Louis case.
Johnson & Johnson stock reacts to news of court ruling. JNJ: NYSE is down 1.75%.
