A talc supplier has settled a retired teacher’s mesothelioma lawsuit for an undisclosed sum after reaching a deal partway through the trial.
Whittaker, Clark & Daniels elected to settle Linda Zimmerman’s lawsuit for an undisclosed amount on April 26, according to records for California Superior Court for Los Angeles County.
Leah Kagan of the law firm Simon Greenstone Panatier confirmed for Mesowatch that the case ended in a settlement but refused to disclose the sum, asserting that the “amounts are confidential.”
Trial Interruptus
The trial, which was halted on April 23, the fourth day of proceedings, was one of the first in-person trials to be held in California Superior Court in over a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The personal injury suit contended that talc produced by Whittaker, Clark & Daniels made its way into beauty powder regularly used by Zimmerman. For decades, the company was one of the largest suppliers of cosmetic talc. Talc is frequently mined near asbestos deposits, which can lead to natural contamination.
Lots of Defendants
Court records show that the original suit was filed in September 2018 and named 24 companies, ranging from cosmetics firms to auto parts retailers.
The next hearing scheduled to discuss the settlement is on June 8, according to court records.Whittaker, Clark & Daniels settled the case exactly one week after being ordered to pay another mesothelioma patient — Vietnam vet Willie McNeal Jr. — $4.8 million following a jury trial in the same court system.
