California Jury Decides on $417-million Verdict Against Johnson & Johnson Talcum Powder Suit
A 63-year-old California woman battling ovarian cancer blames the global company Johnson & Johnson and its talc powder products for her cancer. She took the company to court where a jury decided J&J should award the woman $417 million in damages. According to the National Cancer Institute, ovarian cancer accounts for just over one percent of all new cancer cases in the U.S. This type of cancer is the eighth most common and the fifth-leading cause of cancer-related death among women. Fewer than half of all ovarian cancer patients survive five years after a diagnosis.
Despite full knowledge of the link between talcum powder and ovarian cancer, J&J failed to provide consumers with this information. There was no additional labeling or warning added to products that focused on use of their products in feminine hygiene even though there were inhalation warnings added after cases of talc inhalation poisoning and mesothelioma (related to asbestos-containing powder) arose.
Why is Talc Harmful?
Talc, the primary ingredient in talcum powder and the baby powders the woman had used, has been raising red flags for decades, with some evidence of the dangers of the powder going back over fifty years. Talc, in its natural mineral state, does contain asbestos and is known to be carcinogenic; however, cosmetics and other health care products have used asbestos-free talc since the 1970s. Despite the use of asbestos-free talc since the early ‘70s, there have been more than 20 research studies whose findings have stated a link between the use of talc-based powders and ovarian cancer.
J&J lawyers argue that various scientific studies as well as federal agencies, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, have yet to find that talc products are carcinogenic. J&J has lost four smaller jury verdicts in St. Louis for a total of $300 million, including $110 million to a 62-year-old Virginian woman in May, and it faces 5,500 claims in U.S. courts. This most recent California court’s verdict is the third-largest jury award in the United States in 2017, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
The attorneys at The Lee Steinberg Law Firm are reviewing claims of women who developed ovarian cancer after using talc-based baby powder around their genital area, including on underwear, tampons, and sanitary napkins. Health product company J&J is currently facing more than 1,000 pending lawsuits over claims that talcum powder in their baby powder products caused cancer in hundreds of women. Evidence continues to mount against J&J, and it is possible that many Michigan women and their families have been grievously harmed by dangerous products and do not even know it.
Contact Us Now To Discuss Your Case
With offices in Detroit, Flint, Saginaw, and Farmington Hills, The Lee Steinberg Law Firm are positioned to help the victims of Johnson & Johnson’s dangerous products throughout Michigan. If you or a loved one were a regular user of products containing baby powder and were diagnosed with ovarian cancer, please call Lee Free and speak to our expert attorneys at 1-800-LEE-FREE (1-800-533-3733). You can also contact us by filling out our simple Free Case Evaluation Form.
