Talc verdict winner: Money can’t make up for lost health

Deborah Giannecchini, right, speaks along side her attorney, Wylie Blair, during a news conference Friday, Oct. 28, 2016, in St. Louis. A jury has awarded Giannecchini more than $70 million in her lawsuit alleging that years of using Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder caused her cancer, the latest case raising concerns about the health ramifications of extended talcum powder use. AP

ST. LOUIS — A California woman awarded more than $70 million in her talcum powder lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson says she is pleased by the ruling, but it doesn’t make up for the damage to her health.

A St. Louis jury on Thursday sided with 63-year-old Deborah Giannecchini of Modesto, California. She said at a news conference Friday that she used Johnson’s Baby Power for 45 years before being diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2012.

Johnson & Johnson said in a statement that it sympathizes with women and their families impacted by ovarian cancer, but science has shown no link with talcum powder. The company plans to appeal.

It was the third big verdict awarded in St. Louis this year against the company. The three awards combined amount to nearly $200 million. TVJ

In this April 15, 2011 file photo, a bottle of Johnson’s baby powder is displayed in San Francisco. AP