Everything you need to know about the Johnson & Johnson baby powder lawsuits

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Johnson and Johnson baby powder

Johnson & Johnson’s talc-based baby powder is now discontinued, but when it was still on the market it got quite a bit of attention. In recent years, more and more people have sued J&J, claiming that their talc-based powder caused them to develop ovarian cancer or mesothelioma, a cancer that forms in the lining of the lungs or abdomen. Now the company is offering to pay up to $8.9 billion to settle the allegations, according to AP News.

Talc is a naturally occurring mineral widely used in personal care products, according to the FDA. But the substance is often found in mines alongside asbestos, raising concerns about contamination, and “is widely believed to cause cancer if inhaled,” according to the American Cancer Society. It’s not uncommon for people to sprinkle baby powder in their underwear to help absorb sweat, and some studies indicate this may increase a person’s risk of ovarian cancer, though other research has found no link, CNN reports.

As the link between asbestos-free talc and cancer remains unproven, Johnson & Johnson continues to deny that their baby powder contains asbestos. In fact, the proposed settlement does not require the company to admit any wrongdoing. Still, the company says about 60,000 people who filed lawsuits related to the talc-based products supported the proposed settlement amount.

The company announced on April 4 that its subsidiary, LTL Management, has re-filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to proceed with one of the largest product liability settlements in the country. If approved, the settlement would be payable over the next 25 years “to remove all current and future talk claims,” ​​Johnson & Johnson said in a statement. The same statement stressed that the claims are “misleading and have no scientific merit”.

In 2016, the family of Jacqueline Fox of Birmingham, AL, who passed away in 2015 at age 62, was awarded $72 million in both actual and punitive damages over allegations that her use of J&J’s talc-based products was linked to her development of ovarian cancer , reports NBC News. And in 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected J&J’s appeal of a verdict asking them to pay $2 billion to a woman who claimed to have developed ovarian cancer from her talc products, according to AP News.





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