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Johnson & Johnson to Pay $2 Billion in Landmark Baby Powder Trial

On June 1st, the Supreme Court rejected an appeal from Johnson & Johnson (J&J) without comment. In 2018, 22 women sued the company over its talc products, believing the asbestos in the products gave them ovarian cancer. Talc and asbestos are often found in the same mines, with asbestos being a known carcinogen. Jurors noted sufficient evidence to support the link between the talc, asbestos, and ovarian cancer diagnoses. 

The plaintiffs won in a $4.7 billion verdict, which was later reduced to $2 billion by a Missouri appeals court. Ultimately, the women were each awarded $25 million in compensatory damages, and the company was fined.

Mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer, is also linked to asbestos exposure. J&J is currently fighting thousands of lawsuits linked to this cancer, having set aside almost $4 billion to cover the related expenses.

In 1976, J&J participated in an industry agreement to ensure asbestos-free products. However, in 2018, a Reuters investigation found mention of undisclosed asbestos contamination in over three decades of internal reports from the company. Just a year later, in 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confirmed the presence of asbestos in J&J talc products.

In May 2020, U.S. and Canadian sales of baby powder ended due to “pandemic-related low demand and public safety misinformation.” Publicly, J&J maintains the safety of their products. 

For more information about the link between J&J talc baby powder and asbestos exposure, contact us today.

Additional Reading:

Johnson & Johnson Sets Aside Nearly $4 Billion for Talc Verdict

Johnson & Johnson to Stop Selling Talcum Powder

Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson Sets Aside Nearly $4 Billion for Talc Verdict

A securities filing from late February shows that Johnson & Johnson (J&J) allotted $3.9 billion for litigation expenses in 2020 and that the funds were “primarily associated with talc-related reserves and certain settlements.” This figure is almost twice as much as the $2.1 billion that the company agreed to set aside in November. 

A 2018 Reuters report first revealed that J&J has known for decades about asbestos in the talc. Internal records and trial testimony, among other evidence, show that their raw talc and finished powders sometimes tested positive for small amounts of asbestos from 1971 to the early 2000s. The pharmaceutical company now faces 25,000 lawsuits by former users of its baby powder who believe that the asbestos-laced talc caused their cancers.

The drugmaker is currently appealing to the Supreme Court against a $2.12 billion verdict in Missouri to women who believe their ovarian cancer developed due to asbestos in J&J products. Additionally, in November, a New York state judge ordered the company to pay $120 million to a Brooklyn couple after the woman argued that her cancer was a result of asbestos exposure from their baby powder.

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