For over a century, Johnson & Johnson has been one of the most trusted brands in American homes, but thousands of people are now allegedly paying the tragic price for that trust. One court recently demanded that Johnson & Johnson pay out $300 Million for punitive damages in the case of a woman who claims that her cancer, caused by asbestos, was the result of using Johnson & Johnson’s talcum powder products.
Less than a month earlier, the New York state jury awarded that same woman, 66-year old Donna Olson, and her husband $25 Million in compensatory damages. Olson testified that she used baby powder on herself from age eight until after she was married in 1984 and that the powder would create a cloud when applied so that she breathed in some of the talc particles.
While Johnson & Johnson plans to appeal this verdict and insists that numerous tests and studies by regulators worldwide have shown that talc is safe and asbestos-free, the lead attorney for Olson in this trial, Jerome Block, feels that both judgments were entirely justified.
“With this verdict, yet another jury has rejected J&J’s claims that its talc was free of asbestos,” Block said. “The internal J&J documents that the jury saw, once more laid bare the shocking truth of decades of cover-up, deception and concealment by J&J of the asbestos found in talc baby powder.”
Why is exposure to asbestos so dangerous?
Mesothelioma is a very rare, deadly form of cancer of the lungs that is linked to asbestos exposure. Asbestos-related cancers can take up to 50 years to develop but are typically fatal within 12-24 months of diagnosis. The World Health Organization says there is “no safe level of exposure to asbestos.”
Thousands of cases are alleging that talcum powder causes ovarian cancer
Is this judgment a sign of things to come for J&J? The consumer products company certainly hopes not, as it’s currently facing over 13,000 other talc-related lawsuits. The vast majority of these lawsuits surround allegations that talcum powder causes ovarian cancer. Earlier this year, the company lost an appeal to overturn a $4.7 Billion Missouri jury verdict to compensate 22 women with ovarian cancer.
According to internal J&J records exposed in recent litigation, the company knew about the risk of ovarian cancer associated with genital talc use decades ago, but intentionally withheld this information. Due to this alleged failure to warn, plaintiffs claim that they had no way of knowing about the risk of using this baby powder and therefore unknowingly put themselves and their families in danger.
Who is eligible to file a Johnson & Johnson talc baby powder lawsuit?
Showard Law Firm is currently reviewing claims of women across the country who believe their cancer was caused by long-term use of baby powder and other talc products. If you or a loved one have been exposed to this product and subsequently developed cancer, you may have a valid claim for compensation. We take cases anywhere in the United States.
Contact Showard Law Firm today for a free consultation to discuss your eligibility to file a talcum powder lawsuit.
Additional resources
- CNBC, J&J ordered to pay $300 million in punitive damages in talc baby powder case. Vows to appeal, https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/31/johnson-johnson-must-pay-300-million-punitive-award-in-talc-case-company-will-appeal.html
- World Health Organization, Towards the elimination of asbestos-related diseases in the WHO European region, http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/276206/Towards-elimination-asbestos-related-diseases-EURO-2014-en.pdf?ua=1
- Los Angeles Times, Johnson & Johnson loses one baby powder cancer case and wins another, https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-johnson-baby-powder-talc-cancer-20190521-story.html
- Fox Business, J&J loses motion to overturn a $4.7B baby powder verdict, https://www.foxbusiness.com/features/jj-loses-its-battle-to-overturn-a-4-7b-baby-power-verdict
