Jury Awards $40 Million in Johnson & Johnson Talc Case
A jury in Los Angeles decided on Friday to award $40 million to two women, linking Johnson & Johnson’s talcum powder directly to their ovarian cancer diagnosis.
In response, the healthcare giant announced plans to appeal both the liability verdict and the amount awarded. This ruling adds to a lengthy series of legal disputes concerning allegations that talc in products like Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower Body Powder could be connected to cancers such as ovarian cancer and mesothelioma, which affects the lungs and other organs. Interestingly, Johnson & Johnson has already committed to discontinuing the sale of talc-based powders globally by 2023.
Looking back, an earlier judgment from a California jury in October required the company to pay $966 million to a family whose member died from mesothelioma, with claims that her use of baby powder contained harmful asbestos.
In this most recent trial, the jury granted $18 million to Monica Kent and $22 million to Deborah Schultz and her husband. “They simply stayed loyal to Johnson & Johnson for fifty years, but that loyalty was one-sided,” remarked Daniel Robinson, a lawyer from the Robinson Calcany law firm in Newport Beach, California.
Eric Haas, Johnson & Johnson’s vice president of worldwide litigation, stated in his response that the company has successfully won 16 out of 17 cases concerning ovarian cancer thus far and has confidence in a favorable outcome on appeal for this recent ruling.
However, Haas also mentioned that the jury’s conclusions don’t align with years of independent scientific studies asserting talc is safe, free of asbestos, and non-carcinogenic.
In a notable shift, Johnson & Johnson transitioned to using cornstarch instead of talc in most of its baby powder products across North America by 2020, following a decline in sales.
Earlier this year, a U.S. bankruptcy judge turned down J&J’s proposal to settle ovarian cancer and other related lawsuits for $9 billion, attributed to claims linked to talc-containing products.
