(Reuters) - Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) suffered its first trial loss in a lawsuit claiming its talc-based products including Johnson’s Baby Powder contain cancer-causing asbestos, with a New Jersey jury on Thursday ordering J&J; and another company to pay $37 million in damages. 
 
 FILE PHOTO: A Johnson & Johnson building is shown in Irvine, California, U.S., January 24, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo 
 
 The verdict of liability in Middlesex County Superior Court in New Brunswick came as J&J; fights thousands of cases claiming its talc products can also cause ovarian cancer. The jury found J&J; and another company liable after more than two months of trial. 
 
 The lawsuit was brought by New Jersey resident Stephen Lanzo, who said he developed mesothelioma after inhaling dust that was generated through his regular use of J&J; talc powder products since his birth in 1972. 
 
 Mesothelioma is a deadly form of cancer closely associated with exposure to asbestos. It affects the delicate tissue that lines body cavities, most often around the lungs, but also in the abdomen and elsewhere. 
 
 The jury awarded Lanzo $30 million and his wife $7 million in compensatory damages. It found J&J; was responsible for 70 percent of the damages and said a unit of France-based Imerys SA (IMTP.PA), its talc supplier, was responsible for 30 percent. 
 
 The jury will return on Tuesday for further proceedings to determine whether to award punitive damages, according to an online broadcast of the trial by Courtroom View Network. 
 
 J&J; denied the allegations and says Johnson’s Baby Powder does not contain asbestos or cause cancer. 
 
 J&J; in a statement said it was disappointed but would withhold further comment until the trial’s completion. Gwen Myers, an Imerys spokeswoman, said Imerys plans to appeal and is confident talc did not cause Lanzo’s cancer. 
 
 The Lanzos did not respond to requests for comment. 
 
 J&J;, based in New Brunswick, New Jersey, faces talc-related lawsuits by 6,610 plaintiffs nationally, largely based on claims it failed to warn women about the risk of developing ovarian cancer by using its products for feminine hygiene. 
 
 In five trials in Missouri involving ovarian cancer lawsuits, juries found J&J; liable four times and awarded the plaintiffs a total of $307 million. In California, a jury awarded a now-deceased woman $417 million. 
 
 But in October, a Missouri appellate court threw out the first verdict there for $72 million and a California judge tossed the $417 million verdict. J&J; is seeking to reverse the other verdicts. 
 
 Asbestos claims are a more recent challenge for J&J.; It won the only other asbestos-related trial in November when a Los Angeles Superior Court jury ruled in its favor. 
 
 (This story corrects headline to show case was J&J;’s first trial loss in an asbestos-related case involving talc, not first loss in talc cancer lawsuit. Corrects paragraph 1 to say both J&J; and another company have been ordered to pay $37 mln, not just J&J;) 

 (CNN) Johnson & Johnson and talc company Imerys SA must pay $117 million in damages to a couple after the husband, a New Jersey banker, got cancer after decades of using talcum powder. 
 
 The Middlesex County, New Jersey, jury ordered the companies to pay $80 million in punitive damages Wednesday. Last week, it awarded banker Stephen Lanzo $30 million in compensatory damages and his wife $7 million in damages. 
 
 Lanzo said he used Johnson & Johnson products like Shower to Shower and Baby Powder for more than 30 years, and he claimed that inhaling the powder caused his mesothelioma , an aggressive and deadly cancer that impacts the lining of the lungs. 
 
 Deposits of talc, one of Earth's softest minerals , are often located near deposits of the minerals that constitute asbestos, and studies have shown the risk of cross-contamination during mining. Johnson & Johnson said its talc products do not contain asbestos, which, it noted, has been a legal requirement since the 1970s. 
 
 Lanzo's case was the first to go to trial in New Jersey, the home state of Johnson & Johnson. 
 
 Johnson & Johnson and other talcum powder companies face thousands of separate but related cases that draw a connection between genital talc use and ovarian cancer. 
 
 The Lanzos' lawyers accused the company of holding back information from its customers about the health risks of asbestos in its talc products since the 1960s. 
 
 Johnson & Johnson argued that it did extensive testing to make sure its products were not contaminated. 
 
 "Johnson's Baby Powder has been used for more than 120 years and it does not contain asbestos or cause mesothelioma," the company said in a statement Wednesday. "After suffering multiple losses through court rulings and at trial, plaintiff's attorneys have shifted their strategy and are now alleging that talcum powder is contaminated with asbestos, despite multiple independent, non-litigation-driven scientific evaluations which have found that our baby powder does not contain asbestos. 
 
 "Throughout this trial, we were prevented from presenting evidence we believe would have been important to the jury in their deliberations, which forced us to file multiple mistrial motions. We will continue to defend the safety of Johnson's Baby Powder and immediately begin our appeal, and we believe that once the full evidence is reviewed, this decision will be reversed." 
 
 Gwen Myers, a spokeswoman for talc supplier Imerys, said in a statement last week, "Our hearts go out to those affected by all forms of cancer. We are disappointed by the jury's decision, but we remain confident that talc did not cause Mr. Lanzo's cancer. The evidence was clear that his asbestos exposure came from a different source such as the asbestos found in his childhood home or schools, and the jury's decision is inconsistent with a recently published study of workers who mined and milled talc all day over the course of more than 50 years that did not find a single case of mesothelioma. 
 
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 "Imerys follows all FDA and other regulatory guidelines and utilizes rigorous testing to ensure that our talc meets the highest quality standards, and we are just as confident in the safety of our products as ever. We intend to appeal this decision and will continue to stand by the safety of our product."
– Stephen Lanzo says he used Johnson & Johnson products for decades, including products with talcum powder (e.g., the company's famous baby powder), and that his aggressive form of lung cancer was brought about by that powder. On Thursday, a jury awarded the New Jersey banker and his wife a total of $37 million in compensatory damages in his suit—$30 million for him, $7 million for his wife, Kendra—making J&J assume 70% of the liability for Lanzo's illness, per CNN. Imerys Talc, the supplier of the talc, a mineral that's been linked to cross-contamination with asbestos when being mined, was hit with the other 30% liability. Reuters notes it's J&J's first loss at trial regarding complaints about its talc products containing asbestos. There are thousands of other cases tying its talc products to ovarian cancer. In Lanzo's situation, he said he got deadly mesothelioma from inhaling baby powder dust during regular use since his 1972 birth. A seven-woman jury in Middlesex County found both J&J and Imerys concealed the asbestos in their products, which files from Lanzo's legal team indicate they may have worried about as early as 1969, per Bloomberg. J&J insists it has long tested its products for contamination, and Imerys claims any asbestos exposure Lanzo may have had came from somewhere other than its talc. "The evidence was clear that his asbestos exposure came from a different source such as the asbestos found in his childhood home or schools," a spokeswoman says, adding the firm will appeal. The Lanzos may still have punitive damages coming as well; that phase of the trial begins Tuesday.