California Jury Awards Woman $13 Million for Asbestos Exposure from Talcum

A Los Angeles, Calif. jury has awarded $13 million to a 73-year-old woman who contracted a deadly disease from using asbestos-containing talcum powder manufactured by Colgate-Palmolive Co.

The verdict last month in Superior Court found that New York-based Colgate was 95 percent responsible for Judith Winkel’s mesothelioma, a fatal lung disease.

Winkel’s lawyers say she got the disease from using Cashmere Bouquet talcum powder.

Lawyers say the company knew or should have known about the dangers of asbestos since the 1930s.

A spokesman for Colgate didn’t immediately return after-hours messages seeking comment, and lawyers who represented the company didn’t immediately respond to a phone call or emails.

Lawyers for Winkel say they reached a confidential settlement before the jury was set to hear evidence to determine punitive damages.