Fort Lauderdale, FL — A Broward County jury has reached a $20 million verdict in Casaretto v. Johnson & Johnson, a wrongful death case brought by Kelley | Uustal Trial Attorneys and Levin Papantonio on behalf of the family of Dr. Alberto Casaretto, a respected Florida physician who developed mesothelioma after daily use of Johnson & Johnson’s talc.
Dr. Casaretto, who practiced medicine in South Florida for decades, believed Johnson’s Baby Powder was safe. He used it every day and was later diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, a fatal asbestos-related cancer. He passed away in December 2022.
Dr. Casaretto’s 50 years of daily use provides one of the clearest exposure histories in talc litigation. He was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, a cancer caused by asbestos exposure. Plaintiff’s experts tested one of his bottles and found asbestos. Dr. Casaretto never worked with asbestos or had any other known exposure.
Attorneys alleged that Johnson & Johnson’s talc products, marketed as “gentle” and “safe,” were in fact contaminated with asbestos and that the company concealed those risks for decades while continuing to sell it to families across America.
“Dr. Casaretto, a long-time medical professional who was the first to bring outpatient dialysis treatment centers to South Florida and saved thousands of lives, was a daily user of Johnson & Johnson’s talcum powder products. He trusted the company behind it. Because of that product he lost a decade of life,” said attorney John Uustal during closing argument.
About Kelley | Uustal
Founded in 2008 by trial attorneys Robert Kelley and John Uustal, Kelley | Uustal focuses on catastrophic injury, wrongful death, and complex commercial litigation. Based in Fort Lauderdale, the firm is home to more than a dozen award-winning attorneys who have secured more than $1 billion in life-changing verdicts and settlements for clients nationwide.
About John Uustal
John Uustal leads a team of elite trial lawyers who have won some of the largest verdicts in the country. He limits his own practice to a small number of “cases that can’t be won for families that can’t afford to lose.” He has taken on some of the most complex and difficult legal cases of our time.
His successes have resulted in safer fuel tanks, safer seatbelts, safer medical care, and safer equipment for firefighters. That success has earned him some powerful enemies. A car company promised to bankrupt him, he was attacked and maligned by Big Tobacco, and he was threatened in Argentina after antagonizing government officials who had been complicit in Argentina’s dirty war. He has won every case he has tried against tobacco companies. He has won every one of his cases involving keyless ignition defects. Most recently, he secured an $82.6 million verdict on behalf of hip hop star Flo Rida.
About Levin Papantonio
Levin Papantonio is a national trial law firm specializing in mass torts, products liability, asbestos-related litigation, environmental contamination, complex personal injury and wrongful death claims. With decades of experience securing verdicts and settlements for injured individuals and governmental entities, Levin Papantonio stands at the forefront of holding powerful interests to account.
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