Members of the KCIC team attended and presented at Perrin Conferences' National Asbestos Litigation Conference in Charleston, S.C. last month. Talc-related litigation continues to be a major component of industry conferences like this – with KCIC's presentation focusing on asbestos and talc filing data and trends and a subsequent panel examining recent developments in talc litigation. Throughout these discussions, panelists highlighted several themes that have continued to emerge since our mid-year update.
Since our last post, which analyzed verdicts through June, we have added two additional talc-related mesothelioma trials verdicts to our records:
In July, defendants secured a victory when an Indiana jury returned a defense verdict in the DuBois case.
In August, a New Orleans jury awarded $10 million in the Roy case, marking the most recent reported plaintiff verdict of 2026. Like other plaintiff wins this year, the award reflects juries' continued willingness to find liability in talc-related mesothelioma cases, though at values well below many of the extraordinary verdicts seen in 2025.
Several themes discussed during the conference continue to emerge from the 2026 data.
Through August 2026, KCIC has tracked four plaintiff verdicts and three defense verdicts in talc-related mesothelioma trials. While large plaintiff awards often dominate headlines, defense verdicts have represented a meaningful share of reported trial outcomes this year.
Because defense wins often receive less publicity than plaintiff verdicts, publicly available results may not capture every trial outcome. Nevertheless, the verdicts reported to date suggest that juries continue to evaluate issues of causation, exposure, and liability based on the specific facts of each case.
Although successful plaintiffs continue to receive substantial damage awards, the four plaintiff verdicts returned through August 2026 have totaled approximately $65 million, for an average award of roughly $16 million.
By comparison, the 12 plaintiff verdicts returned in 2025 totaled approximately $2.8 billion, resulting in an average award exceeding $230 million. The difference highlights a significant decline in average verdict values, even as plaintiffs continue to secure favorable outcomes in a number of cases.
While Los Angeles remains a closely watched venue in talc litigation, 2026 verdict activity has not been confined to traditionally high-profile jurisdictions. Recent outcomes in Louisiana and Indiana, together with verdicts earlier this year in California, Minnesota, Illinois, and Oklahoma, demonstrate that meaningful developments continue to occur across the country.
This geographic diversity underscores the importance of monitoring talc litigation on a national basis rather than focusing exclusively on a handful of historically prominent venues.
The discussions at Perrin Charleston reinforced that the talc litigation landscape continues to evolve. While filing activity, bankruptcy proceedings, and ongoing debates regarding scientific evidence remain important parts of the broader story, trial outcomes continue to provide valuable insight into how juries are evaluating talc claims.
KCIC will continue monitoring talc-related verdicts and broader litigation trends and looks forward to providing additional updates as cases proceed to trial.
