N.J. Appellate Court Reverses $117 Million Asbestos Cosmetic Talc Verdict, Cites Failure of Trial Court to Perform Gatekeeping Function

TRENTON, N.J. –– A New Jersey appellate court has reversed a $117 million verdict entered at the conclusion of an asbestos cosmetic talcum powder trial, finding that the trial court’s assessment of expert testimony proffered on behalf of the plaintiffs was “brief,” and did not “assess the methodology, or the underlying data used by the … experts to form their opinions.”

In the April 28 opinion, the New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division, reversed and remanded the matter to the trial court for new, separate trials against Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. and Imerys Talc America.

The claims were brought …