Foley & Mansfield Successfully Defends Talcum Claims in Two Jury Trials

Foley & Mansfield successfully defended the Colgate-Palmolive Company in two separate product liability jury trials against claims relating to the company’s talcum products.

In the first case, Alfaro v. Colgate-Palmolive Company, Case Number BC583520, partners Gary D. Sharp and Keith M. Ameele of the firm’s Los Angeles office, together with Adam Abensohn of Quinn Emmanuel, successfully defended Colgate-Palmolive Company in the Los Angeles Superior Court.

Plaintiff, a 38-year old woman who contracted mesothelioma, sued defendant Colgate-Palmolive, claiming that a talcum powder product, Cashmere Bouquet, had been contaminated by asbestos and lead to her disease.

Following a three week trial, and hearing testimony from eight different expert witnesses for both sides, the jury agreed that the Colgate product was not contaminated with asbestos and that Colgate’s product did not cause her disease. 

Read Coverage of this case from DRI- And the Defense Wins.

In the second case, Nosse v. Colgate-Palmolive Co., et al., No. BC603354. (unpublished), Foley & Mansfield Partner Gary D. Sharp and associate Andrew L. Sharp, together with Meredith Shaw of Quinn Emmanuel, successfully defended the Company in the Los Angeles Superior Court. The case, heard before the Honorable C. Edward Simpson in the Pasadena courthouse, was filed by plaintiff, Esther Nosse, claiming she had contracted terminal mesothelioma due to her use of Cashmere Bouquet, a Colgate talcum powder product.

After listening to testimony by several fact witnesses and eight expert witnesses, the jury decided in an unanimous verdict delivered on July 21, 2016 that Cashmere Bouquet had never been contaminated with asbestos, and that her disease was not related in any way to her use of Cashmere Bouquet.