UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM
CURRENT REPORT
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Securities Exchange Act of 1934
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Item 8.01. Other Events.
In February 2022, Avon Products, Inc. (the “Company”) was named as one of more than 30 co-defendants in a personal injury lawsuit filed in Los Angeles, California, captioned Chapman, et al. v. Avon Products, Inc., et al., No. 22STCV05968. Among other things, Plaintiffs Rita-Ann Chapman and her husband, Gary Chapman, alleged that despite the fact that the Company has never used asbestos in its product formulas, certain talc-containing powder products the Company sold in the past in the U.S. were contaminated with asbestos during the talc formation and mining process. The complaint further alleged, among other things, that Mrs. Chapman’s use of the Company’s talc-containing powder products sold in the past, over several decades beginning in the 1950s, contributed to her developing mesothelioma. The Company stopped selling all products in the U.S. in 2016. Following a two-phase trial, the jury returned a verdict finding certain defendants at fault for Mrs. Chapman’s disease. The jury awarded Plaintiffs a total of $36 million in compensatory damages against the Company on December 14, 2022. It then awarded $10.3 million in punitive damages against the Company on December 16, 2022. The Company’s products undergo rigorous safety evaluation for consumer use. The Company believes it has strong grounds for seeking to overturn the verdict in this case and will immediately pursue all available post-trial motions and, if necessary, appeals. Among other potential bases for appeal, the Company believes that the court improperly excluded all Company fact witnesses from testifying at trial and erred in denying the Company’s motions for mistrial.
Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(d) Exhibits.
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Exhibit |
Description | |
| Exhibit 104 | Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded in the cover page formatted in Inline XBRL). |
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
Date: December 19, 2022
| AVON PRODUCTS, INC. | |||
| By: | /s/ Ginny Edwards | ||
| Name: Ginny Edwards | |||
| Title: VP, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary | |||