Calif. Jury Awards $4.8 Million to Plaintiffs at Conclusion of Cosmetic Talc Asbestos Case

LOS ANGELES –– A California jury has awarded $4.8 million at the conclusion of the first phase of an asbestos cosmetic talcum powder trial against Whittaker, Clark & Daniels, with jurors further finding that the defendant acted with malice, oppression or fraud.

The verdict was read in the California Superior Court for Los Angeles County on April 14. Whittaker, Clark & Daniels was allocated 42 percent liability of the verdict.

The plaintiffs argued during trial that Willie McNeal Jr. developed pleural mesothelioma as a result of exposure to asbestos in Old Spice Talcum Powder. McNeal used the product daily for …