One day after successfully fending off a Xarelto uncontrollable bleeding claim in Louisiana, Johnson & Johnson was ordered by a St. Louis jury to pay more than $110 million to a Virginia woman who blamed her ovarian cancer on the company’s talcum products.
Imerys Talc America, a co-defendant who provided the talc to J&J, was ordered by the jury to pay about $100,000.
There are more than 3,000 ovarian cancer talcum powder lawsuits stacked up against J&J, blaming the world’s largest health-care company of downplaying the risks of its baby powder and Shower to Shower talc products link to ovarian cancer and failing to warn customers about the risk.
Talcum Powder Jury Verdicts in the Millions
J&J lost three trials back to back, with jury verdicts of $72 million, $55 million and $70 million last year, while winning the first trial in 2017.
J&J has appealed those trial losses. But, a New Jersey state court judge last year threw out two talc cases set for trial, finding inadequate scientific support for the claims. That decision is also on appeal. J&J is headquartered in New Jersey.
Plaintiff Claims
St. Louis plaintiff Lois Slemp, 62, said she used J&J’s baby powder and Shower to Shower talc products for more than 40 years before her diagnosis with ovarian cancer in 2012.
St. Louis Court Talcum Powder Trials
The lawsuit is among more than 1,000 filed in St. Louis by women across the U.S. J&J faces trial in another talc cancer claim in St. Louis city court in June, brought by the family of a former competitive figure skater who died of ovarian cancer. The trial after that is set for July in Los Angeles.
Punitive Damages
The jury’s verdict included $105 million in punitive damages against J&J, according to jurors was derived from a formula starting with the number of years since the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified talc as a possible carcinogen. That was in 2006.
The case is Slemp v. Johnson & Johnson, 1422-CC09326, Circuit Court, City of St. Louis, Missouri.
Talcum Powder Ovarian Cancer link
Since 1971, more than 20 studies have linked talcum powder to ovarian cancer. In 2003, an analysis of 16 of these studies found that women using talcum powder or baby powder for feminine hygiene, were 33% more likely to develop ovarian cancer.
J&J, the manufacturer of popular talc-based powders like Baby Powder and Shower-to-Shower, according to court documents, knew about the ovarian cancer risk since at least 1982 but failed to warn of the dangers.
Ovarian Cancer is a big killer
In the U.S., ovarian cancer affects about 24,000 women a year and is the fifth-leading cause of cancer death for women. It is estimated that 14,000 women die from talc-related ovarian cancer each year. One medical expert calculates that the use of talcum powder leads to nearly 10 percent of the new ovarian cancer cases reported annually.
J&J says it will fight on
J&J plans to fight every lawsuit, rather than settle. J&J certainly has the financial muscle of billions of dollars and huge legal resources at their disposal to keep fighting to preserve their brand and tremendous profits into the next decade.
Dr. Shezad Malik law firm continues to investigate Talcum powder linked ovarian cancer personal injury claims from across the country. If you or a loved suffered from Ovarian Cancer after using talcum powder, contact our office immediately for your free consultation.
Shezad Malik is an Internal Medicine and Cardiology specialist, a Texas Medical Doctor (retired) and Defective Medical Device and Dangerous Drug Attorney. Dr. Shezad Malik Law Firm has offices based in Fort Worth and Dallas and represents people who have suffered catastrophic and serious personal injuries including wrongful death, caused by the negligence or recklessness of others.
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