A South Carolina judge declared a mistrial in a case against Johnson & Johnson alleging that exposure to asbestos in its Johnson’s Baby Powder caused a woman’s fatal cancer.
Jurors in Darlington County state court were unable to reach a unanimous decision on Friday in the case brought by the husband of Bertila Boyd-Bostic, according to Judge Jean Toal. The judge said she didn’t know when a retrial would take place.
Boyd-Bostic, 30, and her husband ran a three-person law firm in Columbia, South Carolina. The woman died of mesothelioma, a cancer linked to asbestos exposure. Her husband alleged it was caused by trace amounts of the mineral in baby powder she used regularly.
“We continue to believe that the daily use of talcum powder on Bertila from birth led to her death,” lawyers for Boyd-Bostic at Motley Rice LLC said in a statement. “She ultimately wanted to share her story with others through her suit,” they said. “We look forward to retrying this case at the earliest opportunity.”
