J&J to Face 22 Ovarian Cancer Claims; Imerys Opts Out

J&J to Face 22 Ovarian Cancer Claims; Imerys Opts Out

Introduction

The Jury has selected 22 cases for a trial expected to convene on June 6  in St. Louis, Missouri, State Court, wherein the plaintiffs allege that Johnson & Johnson sold them cancer-causing talcum powder.

Johnson's Baby Powder, one of the most popular products containing talcum powder, is linked to increasing a woman's risk of ovarian cancer if she uses it regularly in the genital area. In a few cases, the cancer tissue was studied using an electron microscope and was found to have talc in it, which supported the claim that the cancer was caused by the body powder and increases the talc-related cancer risk.

Imerys SA settled the ovarian cancer claims by these 22 women for at least $5 million. The talc supplier faces 9000 claims stating the asbestos-laden talc supplied to J&J caused mesothelioma and ovarian cancer. This leaves J&J and its consumer-products unit as the only defendant in the case for not warning consumers about the talc cancer risk. However, Imerys maintains a firm denial regarding the presence of cancer-causing agents in the talcum powder. Thousands of lawsuits filed all over the nation allege the baby powder use for feminine hygiene purposes led to ovarian cancer in several women; many have concluded in multimillion verdicts against the talc manufacturer.

Similar lawsuits filed against J&J in state courts in California, New Jersey, and Delaware are consolidated for pre-trial proceedings in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey MDL No. 2738 (In Re: Johnson & Johnson Talcum Powder Products Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation), presided over by Hon. Freda L. Wolfson, U.S.D.J./ Hon. Lois H. Goodman, U.S.M.J.