The U.S. Supreme Court on June 1 declined to hear Johnson & Johnson’s bid to overturn a $2.12 billion damages award to women who blamed their ovarian cancer on asbestos in the company’s baby powder and other talc products.
U.S. coronavirus infections surged by at least 129,606, according to a Reuters tally, the third consecutive daily rise of more than 100,000 cases as a third wave of Covid-19 sweeps the United States.
The number of new Covid-19 cases rose 11% in the United States last week compared to the previous seven days, with infections spreading rapidly in the Midwest, which reported some of the highest positive test rates, according to a Reuters analysis.
Seven U.S. states reported record one-day increases in Covid-19 cases so far in September even as the average daily number of new infections is falling nationally.
Several states in the U.S. Midwest and Northeast have seen new Covid-19 cases increase for two weeks in a row, though nationally both new infections and deaths last week remained on a downward trend, a Reuters analysis showed.
Florida reported a record increase of more than 15,000 new cases of COVID-19 in 24 hours on Sunday, as the Trump administration renewed a push for schools to reopen and anti-mask protests were planned in Michigan and Missouri.
The U.S. coronavirus outbreak crossed a grim milestone of over 3 million confirmed cases as more states reported record numbers of new infections, and Florida faced an impending shortage of intensive care unit hospital beds.
A Missouri appeals court overturned a $110 million verdict against Johnson & Johnson in a lawsuit by a Virginia woman who says she developed ovarian cancer after decades of using of the company’s talc-based products for feminine hygiene.
A Missouri Supreme Court ruling on talc lawsuits could reduce the liability and number of large trials Johnson & Johnson faces over allegations the company’s talc products, including baby powder, cause cancer.
Johnson & Johnson vowed to appeal a $4.7 billion verdict awarded to 22 women who claim asbestos-contaminated talc in the company’s products gave them ovarian cancer by arguing the plaintiffs’ science was flawed and the case should not have been heard in Missouri.
