Ovarian Cancer Lawsuit Against J&J's Talcum Powder

Ovarian Cancer Lawsuit Against J&J's Talcum Powder

Introduction

A New Jersey woman filed a product liability lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson (J&J) in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on June 10, alleging that the talcum powder caused her ovarian cancer, after years of applying the product for feminine hygiene.

According to the court documents, the plaintiff used J&J’s Baby Powder and Shower-to-Shower powder products from July 1965 until June 2016, following which she developed ovarian cancer. The case joins other J&J’s Baby Powder lawsuits and Shower-to-Shower lawsuits pending in courts nationwide, which make similar allegations that the defendants have known for decades about the potential link between talcum powder and ovarian cancer, yet failed to warn consumers. In a similar trial held earlier this month, a jury awarded $325 million to a plaintiff diagnosed with mesothelioma caused by talcum powder. Also, last year a Missouri jury returned a landmark $4.7 billion verdict for 22 women diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

Nearly 12,000 J&J Baby Powder lawsuits and Shower-to-Shower lawsuits are pending in courts nationwide, claiming that asbestos exposure from the company’s talc-based products causes ovarian cancer or mesothelioma. Hon. Freda L. Wolfson, U.S.D.J./ Hon. Lois H. Goodman, U.S.M.J., overlook J&J's talcum powder multidistrict litigation (MDL No. 2738; In Re: Johnson & Johnson Talcum Powder Products Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation) in the District of New Jersey.