Enormous $4.69 Billion Settlement Decided Against Johnson & Johnson in Missouri

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on December 20, 2018

Despite the numerous lawsuits filed against Johnson & Johnson in relation to the ovarian and cervical cancer believed to stem from its talc powder, the company remains as insistent as ever that its products do not contain any of the asbestos that the plaintiffs believe caused their conditions. This past July, a jury in St. Louis, Missouri, decided firmly against the massive company, awarding 22 people a package of $4.69 billion in both compensatory and punitive damages.

This, one of the most recent of cases decided against the Johnson & Johnson company in regards to its talcum powder, is also the largest award to be decided on so far against the company. If upheld in an appeals court (and the Johnson & Johnson company will most definitely attempt to get this overturned), it will provide the families of those 22 individuals tremendous financial help as they go through the grieving process associated with terminal cancer and its effect on individuals and communities.

The people who were involved in the lawsuit narrowed their focus on Johnson & Johnson due to the fact that many scientists have, since 1971, published work suggesting that the talc powder sold by the company contains traces of asbestos. The scientific and medical community first became interested in the possible link between ovarian cancer and talc powder after talc particles were detected within numerous cancerous tumors.

Because of the way that talc collects within the earth, it is often located near to natural deposits of asbestos. This means that, despite the claims that none of the asbestos makes it into the final product, a powder that many people use around their genital area as a part of their daily self-hygiene is possibly connected with or carrying some element of asbestos.

Asbestos, a material that was once heavily used within manufacturing, is frequently cited as the leading cause of cancers such as mesothelioma, and there is no doubt in the scientific and medical communities that this material does indeed pose a significant health hazard to those who use it. That the same conclusion is still delayed in relation to talc powder is likely the result of the numerous lobbyists for the Johnson & Johnson company who work to ensure that the nearly unanimous voice of scientist claiming the link between talc powder and cancer is interrupted by a few dissenters.

This small minority of people who claim, not that there is no link, but that there is no way to definitively prove the link have ensured that Johnson & Johnson feels emboldened to not only deny the claims of the sufferers of terminal cancer but to also refuse placing any sort of warning label on their products.

Sources:

• $4.69 billion verdict against Johnson & Johnson’s talcum powder

James O. Cunningham

Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.