Deceased woman’s family awarded $16.6 million for pain patch lawsuit

An Illinois state jury found Johnson & Johnson (J&J) must pay $16.6 million to the family of a Chicago-area women who died after using a Duragesic patch. Janice DiCosolo died in February 2004 after wearing a Duragesic patch that delivered a fatal dose of the narcotic fentanyl, the patch’s main ingredient. This was a hard won victory. The drug manufacturer tried everything to avoid responsibility for its leaky patches that continuously supplied overdoses. Once held accountable, the company issued a recall. The power of the little guy cannot be underestimated.