Court Upholds $20 Million Ethylene Oxide Verdict
Georgia's appeals court affirmed a Gwinnett County jury award against Becton, Dickinson and Company in a lymphoma case tied to a Covington plant.
Updated on Nov. 13, 2026 in Cancer
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The Georgia Court of Appeals upheld a $20 million verdict won by Gary Walker against Becton, Dickinson and Company, which a Gwinnett County jury awarded on May 11, 2025. The court also denied the company and co-defendant C.R. Bard a new trial.
Why it matters
The ruling keeps in place a large damages award tied to alleged ethylene oxide exposure from the company's Covington facility. Hundreds of similar resident claims remain pending in Covington, so the outcome may shape how those cases proceed.
The figures come from a jury verdict affirmed on appeal, with a $20 million award at trial and a possible $50 million in punitive damages if a new trial finds the company knew emissions caused Walker's lymphoma. Whether the defendants will pursue review before Georgia's Supreme Court has not been determined.
The players
Becton, Dickinson and Company
A medical technology manufacturer headquartered in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, that is a publicly traded company.
C.R. Bard
A medical device company that was a co-defendant in the Walker case and has been part of Becton, Dickinson and Company's corporate family.
The details
Walker, who drove tractor-trailers for the manufacturer from 1970 to 1999, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2017. His filing argued the disease resulted from repeated exposure to ethylene oxide at the Covington facility, and a jury found the company's operations negligent and a nuisance. The company has denied that ethylene oxide emissions have caused harm to individuals, while it has resolved some Covington resident claims.
Timeline
Walker drove tractor-trailers for the manufacturer from 1970 to 1999.
Walker was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2017.
A Gwinnett County jury awarded Walker $20 million on May 11, 2025.
The Georgia Court of Appeals upheld the verdict on November 13, 2026.
Big Picture
The affirmance extends the Walker verdict into the broader wave of ethylene oxide claims from Covington residents, hundreds of which remain pending against Becton, Dickinson and Company. The company has resolved a number of those claims while denying that emissions have caused harm.
Residents in Covington and nearby communities with exposure claims may see how this ruling affects their own cases. Georgians with a history of work or residence near industrial emissions may want to understand how exposure-related claims proceed through the courts.
The takeaway
Long-running exposure cases can take years to resolve, and appellate affirmance does not end the possibility of further review. Anyone with a concern about past industrial exposure should consult a licensed attorney about deadlines and options.
Further reading
Explore more Cancer coverage for context on how cancer litigation and environmental exposure claims are being handled across Georgia.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Covington News.
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