In the first plaintiff’s verdict of what is sure to be many more, a St. Louis jury just awarded $72,000,000 in damages to the family of the a woman who developed ovarian cancer from Johnson & Johnson Company’s talcum powder. It is the first talcum powder jury trial to date. The jury stated J&J should pay $10 million in compensatory damages and $62 million in a punishment award to the family of Jackie Fox, who died of ovarian cancer last year after using Johnson’s baby powder and another talc-based product for years.
The jury foreman, Krista Smith, called the company’s internal documents “decisive” for jurors, who reached the verdict after four hours of deliberations.
“It was really clear they were hiding something,” said Smith, 39, of St Louis. “All they had to do was put a warning label on.”J&J marketed its Shower to Shower brand talc for feminine hygiene. One 1988 ad promised “just a sprinkle a day keeps odor away.” Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc., which acquired the Shower to Shower brand in 2012, wasn’t a defendant in the St. Louis case.
Johnson & Johnson is currently facing more than 1,200 talcum powder cases in this litigation and that number is expected to grow much larger as more and more victims discover the alleged link of ovarian cancer to the Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower-to-Shower products. Given all the information related to these talcum powder products, much of which is still under orders of confidentiality, we see more and more claims arise everyday. Most have no idea of the link to ovarian cancer and therefore do not yet understand they may have a viable legal claim to help with their ongoing cancer treatment and care. We are Childers, Schlueter & Smith continue to review and investigate new J&J talcum powder (also known as baby powder) cases and offer free consultations to anyone with questions.
For more information on this verdict, check out Bloomberg Business’ article: J&J Must Pay $72Million Over Talc Tied To Woman’s Cancer
Other Talcum Powder News
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Johnson & Johnson announced it will end global sales of its talcum-based baby powder, shifting to a cornstarch formula amid tens of thousands of claims linking talc to ovarian cancer and mesothelioma.
A new lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Connecticut alleges that more than five decades of Johnson & Johnson talcum powder use resulted in an ovarian cancer diagnosis.
The first of over 300 lawsuits linking talcum powder to ovarian cancer has begun in California. The cases allege Johnson & Johnson knew about talc’s cancer risks for decades but failed to warn consumers.
At the end of the fifth Missouri talcum powder trial against Johnson & Johnson, jurors awarded the plaintiff over $110 million for claims that the company’s talc product caused ovarian cancer.
