Attorney Mark Lanier represented 22 women who alleged that Johnson & Johnson’s talcum powder contained asbestos and caused them to suffer ovarian cancer. A Missouri jury awarded Lanier’s clients $4.69 billion in damages. J&J appealed the jury’s verdict. A Missouri appellate court upheld that jury verdict this week and found that J&J’ engaged in “reprehensible conduct” by selling asbestos-laced talcum powder for decades. The court ordered J&J to pay $2.1 billion in damages, a reduction from the original jury verdict of $4.69 billion.
Lanier is also the lead trial attorney for more than 1,000 lottery players in a fraud lawsuit against GTECH, the contract operator of the Texas Lottery. That case, Steele, et al. v. GTECH Corporation, was filed in Texas state court in Austin. The Texas Supreme Court ruled last week that GTECH (now known as IGT) is not immune from suit and that the case should proceed forward in the trial court.