U.S. juries have returned a number of major plaintiff verdicts involving medical devices, automobiles, aircraft, consumer products, asbestos, talc, tobacco, and infant formula. The year has also produced major settlement agreements resolving thousands of product liability claims.
The cases below are among the largest publicly reported U.S. plaintiff-side product liability verdicts and settlements reached during the 2026 calendar year. Verdict amounts reflect the headline jury award unless otherwise noted.
Nationwide: $670M Abbott Settlement Over Preterm Infant Formula NEC Claims
Abbott Laboratories agreed in August 2026 to pay approximately $670 million to resolve litigation alleging that its cow's-milk-based formulas for premature infants can increase the risk of necrotizing enterocolitis, or NEC. The agreements resolved the Gill case, which produced a $495 million verdict in 2024, along with claims involving approximately 2,000 additional infants.
Abbott entered the agreements after the Missouri Court of Appeals affirmed the Gill verdict. Rather than continue its appeal or pay what the company estimated would be approximately $600 million for the Gill judgment and accrued interest alone, Abbott agreed to resolve Gill and the additional NEC claims for an aggregate amount of approximately $670 million. Abbott did not admit liability and has continued to maintain that its specialized premature-infant formulas are safe and medically important.
Massachusetts: $88M Verdict Against Covidien Over Symbotex Hernia Mesh
Represented by: Levin Papantonio, Stokes & Hobbs
A Massachusetts federal jury awarded Larry and Tammy Patterson $88 million in August after finding Covidien liable for injuries associated with its Symbotex Composite Mesh. Patterson received $77 million, while his wife received $11 million for loss of consortium. The case was the first bellwether trial in the federal multidistrict litigation involving the Symbotex hernia mesh product.
Patterson alleged that the mesh's protective collagen coating dissolved sooner than physicians had been led to expect, allowing the implant to adhere to his bowel. He subsequently experienced a bowel obstruction and underwent surgery involving removal of the mesh and a portion of his intestine. The jury sided with the plaintiffs on their failure-to-warn claims, making the verdict an important early result in the broader Symbotex litigation.
Louisiana: More Than $76M Verdict Against Nissan in Infiniti Rollover Case
Represented by: Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers
A Rapides Parish jury returned a verdict of more than $76 million against Nissan in September for a Louisiana man who was left with catastrophic injuries after a rollover crash involving a 2015 Infiniti. The plaintiff was riding in the rear seat when the vehicle crashed in Montgomery, Alabama, in 2021. He suffered severe brain and spinal injuries that left him quadriplegic and in need of around-the-clock care.
The product liability case focused on allegations that the vehicle's lane-assistance system failed to adequately alert the driver and that its roof was structurally defective. Plaintiff counsel argued that the roof came into contact with the man's head during the rollover and contributed to his catastrophic injuries. Courthouse officials described the verdict as the largest single-plaintiff award in Rapides Parish history.
Illinois: $70M Verdict Against Abbott Over Preterm Infant Formula
Represented by: Olson Grimsley, Keller Postman
A Cook County jury awarded $70 million to four families in April after finding Abbott Laboratories liable in litigation involving its Similac Special Care formula for premature infants. The award consisted of approximately $53 million in compensatory damages and $17 million in punitive damages.
The plaintiffs alleged that Abbott's cow's-milk-based formula increased the risk of necrotizing enterocolitis in premature infants and that the company failed to adequately warn physicians and parents about that risk. The families brought product defect, failure-to-warn, and negligence claims. The verdict came only months before Abbott entered its broader $670 million agreement resolving the Gill case and claims involving approximately 2,000 additional infants.
Florida: $50M Verdict Against Philip Morris in Fatal Lung Cancer Case
Represented by: The Alvarez Law Firm
A Miami-Dade County jury awarded $50 million to the family of longtime smoker Norma Lipp in September after finding Philip Morris USA liable in litigation over her fatal lung cancer. Jurors awarded $12.5 million to each of four family members and assigned 75% of the fault to Philip Morris and 25% to Lipp.
The case arose from allegations that Philip Morris concealed or minimized the health risks and addictive properties associated with its cigarettes. Lipp smoked Virginia Slims for approximately 16 years before developing lung cancer. The verdict followed a retrial and adds to the long-running body of Florida tobacco product litigation involving claims against major cigarette manufacturers.
Illinois: $49.5M Verdict Against Boeing Over 737 MAX Crash
Represented by: Kline & Specter, Power Rogers
A Chicago federal jury awarded $49.5 million to the family of Samya Stumo in May for her death aboard Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302. Stumo, a 24-year-old public health worker, was among the 157 people killed when the Boeing 737 MAX crashed shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa in March 2019.
Boeing had previously accepted responsibility for compensatory damages arising from the crash, which followed problems involving the 737 MAX's flight-control system. The jury's award included damages associated with Stumo's death and the losses suffered by her family. The federal docket classifies the action as airplane product liability.
California: $47M Verdict in Engineered Stone Silicosis Case
Represented by: Brayton Purcell LLP
A Los Angeles County jury awarded approximately $47 million in August to the family of Wilmer Ruben Martinez Paredes, a countertop fabrication worker who developed severe silicosis and other illnesses after years of working with artificial stone. The lawsuit alleged that companies involved in supplying the products failed to adequately warn workers about the hazards created when high-silica material is cut and fabricated.
Jurors found Dal-Tile LLC and Dal-Tile Distribution liable, although only a portion of the overall fault was allocated to the two companies. Most of the responsibility was assigned to other entities, including former employers and companies that had settled before trial. The approximately $47 million figure therefore represents the jury's overall damages assessment rather than the amount attributable solely to Dal-Tile.
Missouri: $40.5M Verdict in Seat Belt Product Liability Case
Represented by: Kuhlman Law Firm
A Jackson County jury returned a $40.5 million verdict in July in a product liability case involving a child who suffered catastrophic injuries in a 2018 crash. The case centered on allegations that a seat belt restraint system designed by TRW/ZF Passive Safety Systems failed to properly restrain the child, who was seated in a booster seat in the third row of a minivan.
The jury assigned 49% of the fault to TRW/ZF and 51% to the intoxicated driver. The award included $8 million in compensatory damages against the defendants and $32.5 million in punitive damages assessed solely against the driver. The child suffered a skull fracture, traumatic brain injury, permanent cognitive impairment, and blindness in his left eye. Because the punitive damages were assessed only against the driver, the $40.5 million headline verdict does not represent an award solely against the product manufacturer.
Arizona: $40M Verdict Against Bard Over PowerPort Catheter
Represented by: Ciresi Conlin LLP, Wagstaff & Cartmell, Laminack, Pirtle & Martines
A federal jury in Arizona awarded Kimberly Divelbliss $40 million in September after finding C.R. Bard and related defendants liable for injuries involving an implanted PowerPort catheter. The verdict was the first plaintiff verdict in the federal multidistrict litigation involving Bard implanted port catheter products.
Divelbliss alleged that her catheter fractured approximately two years after implantation and that a fragment migrated into her heart, requiring removal surgery. She subsequently experienced cardiac complications and additional treatment. Jurors found for her on negligent and strict-liability design-defect and failure-to-warn claims and awarded $40 million in compensatory damages.
Illinois: $38.4M Verdict Over Collapsed Hillrom Operating Room Equipment
Represented by: Gunn | Slater
A Sangamon County jury awarded surgical technologist Stacey Brown and her husband $38.4 million in May after operating-room equipment manufactured by Hillrom collapsed and severely injured her. The verdict included approximately $4.6 million in compensatory damages and $33.8 million in punitive damages.
Brown was injured when a piece of operating-room equipment failed while she was working, causing injuries to her head, neck, shoulder, arm, elbow, wrist, and hand. Her attorneys presented evidence concerning bolts used in the equipment and argued that the manufacturer knew similar units could contain the same problem. The jury placed fault on Hillrom and returned a substantial punitive damages award.
California: $33.38M Verdict Over Asbestos-Containing Studio Lighting Equipment
Represented by: Weitz & Luxenberg
A Los Angeles County jury awarded approximately $33.38 million to George Stephenson in February after finding Mole-Richardson responsible for asbestos exposure associated with studio lighting equipment. Stephenson, a Vietnam veteran and longtime cameraman, developed mesothelioma after decades of work around theatrical and studio lighting equipment containing asbestos components.
The jury found Mole-Richardson fully responsible and awarded more than $33 million in noneconomic damages. Jurors also made a finding of malice, but the matter resolved before the second phase of punitive-damages proceedings was completed. The result highlights the continuing role of historical product identification and exposure evidence in asbestos product liability cases.
California: $32M Verdict Against Johnson & Johnson in Talc Mesothelioma Case
Represented by: Dean Omar Branham Shirley, Early, Lucarelli, Sweeney & Meisenkothen
A Los Angeles County jury awarded $32 million in June to the family of Maria Lozano, who died from pleural mesothelioma in 2024. Her children continued the lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson after her death, alleging that asbestos contamination in the company's talc products caused her cancer.
The family alleged that Lozano had used Johnson & Johnson talcum powder for decades beginning in the early 1970s. Jurors assigned responsibility to Johnson & Johnson after rejecting arguments that other potential sources of asbestos exposure caused her disease. The verdict became another significant plaintiff win in the continuing litigation over alleged asbestos contamination in cosmetic talc.
South Carolina: $30M Verdict Against Nissan Over Defective Altima
Represented by: Kinon Law Firm, Beasley Allen
A Marlboro County jury awarded $30 million in June to a woman who was severely injured when a 2017 Nissan Altima unexpectedly moved forward and pinned her against a convenience-store building. The verdict was reported as the largest jury award in the county's history.
The product liability trial focused on allegations of a defect involving the Altima's continuously variable transmission. The plaintiff suffered a crushed leg, fractures, and lasting physical and emotional injuries. Her attorneys argued that Nissan was responsible for placing a defective vehicle into the marketplace. Nissan's highest reported pretrial offer was $999,999.
Illinois: $29M Verdict Against Boeing in Another 737 MAX Trial
Represented by: Podhurst Orseck
A Chicago federal jury awarded $29 million in August to the family of United Nations employee Micheal Ryan, who was killed in the 2019 Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash. The trial was another of the individual damages proceedings arising from the Boeing 737 MAX disaster.
Following the verdict, the parties calculated approximately $8.7 million in prejudgment interest, bringing the total requested judgment to approximately $37.7 million. As in the Stumo case, the litigation concerned damages stemming from the Ethiopian Airlines crash rather than a new determination of Boeing's underlying responsibility.
New York: $25M Verdict Over Asbestos-Containing Amtico Floor Tile
Represented by: Weitz & Luxenberg
A New York County jury awarded $25 million to Jon Widercrantz in April after finding American Biltrite liable for asbestos exposure involving Amtico floor tile. Widercrantz, who developed mesothelioma, alleged that he was exposed to asbestos while installing and removing the company's flooring products.
The award consisted of $20 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages. Jurors found that American Biltrite's product exposed Widercrantz to asbestos and that the company acted with wanton, reckless, and malicious disregard, resulting in the additional punitive award.
California: $25M Verdict Against Conagra Over PAM Cooking Spray Exposure
Represented by: TorHoerman Law, Law Offices of Scott B. Hall
A Los Angeles County jury awarded Roland Esparza $25 million in February in a product liability case involving butter-flavored PAM cooking spray. Esparza alleged that years of exposure to aerosolized flavoring chemicals in the product, including diacetyl and acetyl propionyl, caused him to develop bronchiolitis obliterans, commonly known as popcorn lung.
The jury found Conagra responsible for Esparza's injuries and assigned the company 100% of the responsibility for his harm. Esparza's claims included product defect, failure to warn, and negligence theories. His trial attorneys said his lung disease had progressed to the point that he required continuous oxygen and was awaiting a double lung transplant.
Conclusion
The biggest product liability verdicts and settlements of 2026 so far span a wide range of industries, but many share common allegations: manufacturers failed to adequately warn about known risks, products were defectively designed, or companies failed to address safety problems before serious injuries occurred.
Medical products have been especially prominent, with major results involving infant formula, hernia mesh, implantable catheters, and talc. Automotive and aviation manufacturers have also faced substantial awards, including two separate 2026 737 MAX verdicts and major automotive cases involving crashworthiness, restraint systems, and vehicle defects. As additional cases reach trial during the remainder of 2026, these results will continue to shape litigation involving product warnings, design safety, corporate knowledge, and manufacturer responsibility.
For a look at last year’s most notable product liability cases, see our Top Product Liability Payouts of 2025.
