Los Angeles jury awards $11.3 million in punitive damages in mesothelioma case

A jury in Los Angeles awarded $11.3 million in punitive damages, on top of $40.8 million in compensatory damages, against cosmetics manufacturer Avon and forklift maker Hyster, according to this press release issued today by the plaintiff’s law firm.  The plaintiff claims that she developed mesothelioma after using Avon products which, she contends, contained talc that was contaminated with asbestos.  She also attributes her mesothelioma to exposure to asbestos fibers that her husband brought home on this clothing from his work with asbestos-containing forklift brakes and clutches.