A talcum powder lawsuit is a claim that baby powder manufacturers knew their talc was contaminated by asbestos and could cause cancer, but did nothing to warn consumers. Johnson & Johnson faces nearly 38,000 talc asbestos lawsuits. Recent jury verdicts have awarded billions of dollars to plaintiffs. If you or a loved one was diagnosed with cancer after being exposed to talcum powder, you may be entitled to significant compensation. Contact us today for your free case review.
As of Oct. 14, 2022, Johnson & Johnson faces 37,515 cases stemming from asbestos contamination of talc products. With mounting costs from more than $4 billion in settlements, verdicts and defense costs, in summer 2021, the company created a subsidiary, LTL Management LLC, to split its assets from its liabilities.
J&J has a reported market share of more than $450 billion. The new subsidiary, however, lists its worth at $10 billion and its liabilities at $10 billion.
Despite a July 2021 letter from the U.S. House of Representatives oversight committee urging it to drop its bankruptcy tactic, LTL Management filed for federal bankruptcy protection. The bankruptcy proceedings mean that all current talc lawsuits against J&J are temporarily halted while the J&J subsidiary awaits its bankruptcy ruling. In September 2022, a judge heard arguments from Plaintiffs’ attorneys against the bankruptcy.
In June 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected J&J’s request for the court to overturn a $2.1 billion judgement in Missouri awarded to 22 women with ovarian cancer. This landmark verdict followed years of controversy for the brand as lawsuits piled up and the company faced scrutiny over documents that revealed the company knew its products could contain asbestos.
On Oct. 18, 2019, the brand issued a voluntary recall for one lot of its baby powder after a U.S. Food and Drug Administration test found trace levels of chrysotile asbestos contamination. J&J announced it would no longer sell Johnson’s Baby Powder in the U.S. and Canada in May 2020, though the brand continued to deny allegations that its products caused asbestos-related diseases like ovarian cancer and mesothelioma.
A bombshell Reuters report in late 2018 revealed that the raw talc and talcum powder in J&J’s baby powder tested positive for trace amounts of asbestos on several occasions between 1971 and 2003. The article cited numerous internal company memos, reports and other documents disclosed during talc lawsuits that suggest the company knew of the danger.
In November 2021, Bloomberg reported that emails from a previously sealed state of Mississippi case against J&J show the company and its talc supplier chose the scientists that wrote a pivotal 2009 report on the potential carcinogenic effects of talc. The FDA later used the report to decide not to put a cancer warning on talc products.
J&J is not the only company that has faced lawsuits over asbestos-contaminated talc. Manufacturers, distributors and retailers of talcum powder have all been named in lawsuits in recent years. These include retailers such as Target, Walmart, CVS and Walgreens. Suppliers of talc have also been successfully sued.
In May 2021, a California Superior Court jury ruled against supplier Whittaker, Clark & Daniels in the case of a retired school bus driver and veteran who had used Old Spice powder and developed malignant pleural mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer that forms in the lining of the lungs. The jury awarded a $4.8 million verdict and determined that asbestos-contaminated talc from the supplier, used in the Old Spice powder product, led to the plaintiff’s diagnosis.
In August 2021, a California jury awarded $26.4 million plus $100,000 in punitive damages to Christina Prudencio. Prudencio claimed J&J’s asbestos-contaminated talc products caused her to develop mesothelioma.
In September 2019, a New Jersey jury awarded $37.2 million in compensatory damages to Douglas Barden, David Etheridge, D’Angela McNeill-George and Will Ronning. The plaintiffs claimed they developed mesothelioma after inhaling asbestos in Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower-to-Shower.
In April 2018, a New Jersey jury awarded $117 million to banker Stephen Lanzo III and his wife. Lanzo sued Johnson & Johnson and its talc supplier Imerys Talc. He said Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower led to his mesothelioma.
In December 2017, a California jury awarded Richard Booker over $22 million. Booker had sued Dexter Midland Chemical Co., Walter N. Boysen Paint Co., Vanderbilt Minerals and Imerys Talc. He worked as a paint maker and claimed he was exposed to talc contaminated with asbestos. Booker died of mesothelioma in 2016.
In October 2016, a Los Angeles jury awarded Philip Depoian $18 million against talc supplier Whittaker, Clark & Daniels. Doctors diagnosed Depoian with mesothelioma in May 2015. Depoian’s lawsuit said he was exposed to asbestos in talcum powder at the barbershop where his father worked.
In May 2015, a jury awarded Judith Winkel $13 million. The case was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount before a jury could decide on additional punitive damages. Winkel sued Colgate-Palmolive Co. Her lawsuit said the company’s Cashmere Bouquet product caused her mesothelioma. She regularly used the popular scented talcum powder from 1961 to 1976.
People who used a cosmetic or commercial talcum powder product and developed ovarian cancer or mesothelioma may be eligible to file a talcum powder lawsuit.
In the case of ovarian cancer lawsuits, women must have used talc-containing products around the genital area daily or almost daily before developing ovarian cancer. It is important to note that women who used baby powders made from cornstarch are not eligible for these lawsuits because cornstarch-based powders don’t contain talc.
Talc Products Implicated in Ovarian Cancer Lawsuits
Johnson’s Baby Powder
People who used talc-containing products and developed mesothelioma are also eligible to file a lawsuit. These products can be cosmetic, such as baby powder, or industrial, such as clay, chalk, paper, crayons, pottery, joint compounds and adhesives.
Only a lawyer can properly evaluate your claim. If you’ve developed ovarian cancer or mesothelioma after using talc-containing products, contact a lawyer immediately to preserve your legal rights.
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COMPANY
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BRANDS AND PRODUCTS
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Johnson & Johnson
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Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower
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Colgate-Palmolive
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Cashmere Bouquet
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Imerys Talc North America
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Raw industrial and cosmetic talc
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Whittaker, Clark & Daniels
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Raw cosmetic talc
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Vanderbilt Minerals
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Raw industrial talc
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Diagnosed with ovarian cancer or mesothelioma after talcum powder use?
Talc is a mineral substance used in some of the most common cosmetic and beauty products on the market, including baby powder. It’s possible for the substance to become contaminated with asbestos. Long-term use of talc products has been linked to an increased risk of ovarian cancer, lung cancer and mesothelioma since the 1970s.
Female Hygiene: Possible increased risk of ovarian cancer
Inhalation: May lead to lung damage, lung cancer, mesothelioma
Talc is a mineral substance used in some of the most common cosmetic and beauty products on the market, including baby powder, often to help absorb moisture. It can be industrially produced or mined from the earth. If great care is not taken when mining talc, it’s possible for the substance to become contaminated with asbestos.
For decades, scientists have raised red flags about the possible health issues stemming from prolonged exposure to asbestos in talc-based products. In the early 1970s, researchers linked the long-term use of contaminated talc products like baby powder for feminine hygiene to an increased risk of ovarian cancer. Talc has also been linked to an increased risk of lung cancer and mesothelioma.
Even as organizations like the FDA research the relationship between talc and cancer, manufacturers continue to produce talc-based products without warning consumers of the possible risks associated with its use. This has set off a wave of lawsuits from cancer patients who believe their diagnosis stems from the prolonged use of baby powder and talc-based products. A landmark case was fought and won in 2016 when Johnson & Johnson was ordered to pay $72 million in damages to the family of a woman whose death from ovarian cancer was linked to the use of their powder.
If a product contains talc, you may see it listed in the ingredients as talc, talcum, talcum powder, cosmetic talc, or magnesium silicate.
Talc is added to a wide array of common cosmetic and personal care items, making it a household staple among consumers for almost a century. Because research is still being done to understand the possible link between talc powder and certain types of cancer, pay attention to any warning labels on talc-based products you use.
Avoid inhaling talcum powder and getting it in your eyes. Always shake out powder directly into your hand, away from your face. Rather than putting powder directly on your genitals, gently pat a light layer on the skin around them.
There are some adverse health effects of talc powder when not used properly. For example, inhaling the substance can result in respiratory issues like coughing and wheezing.
Avoid inhaling talcum powder and getting it in your eyes. Always shake out powder directly into your hand, away from your face. Rather than putting powder directly on your genitals, gently pat a light layer on the skin around them.
Inappropriate use of talc-based powders can lead to severe pulmonary complications. Most commonly, inhaling too much of the substance can lead to respiratory distress or even death, especially in infants.
Diagnosed with ovarian cancer or mesothelioma after talcum powder use?
Diagnosed with ovarian cancer or mesothelioma after talcum powder use?
In May 2020, Johnson & Johnson announced it would discontinue its talc-based powder products in the United States and Canada. This followed a voluntary recall of 33,000 bottles of baby powder in the U.S. after the FDA reported finding trace amounts of asbestos in the product. J&J retested its baby powder and reported finding no signs of asbestos.
Were you or a loved one diagnosed with ovarian cancer or mesothelioma after talcum powder use?
Research continues to definitively link talc-based products to certain cancers, including an increased risk of ovarian cancer. Some physicians encourage consumers to exercise caution when using talcum powder until they fully understand the risks, especially women who are using the product around their genitals.
Dr. Daniel Brietkopf, an expert in obstetrics and gynecology at the Mayo Clinic, stresses: “There is some evidence that talc particles may migrate through the genital tract, through the uterus and fallopian tubes, thus exposing the ovaries and lining of the pelvic organs to the substance. Whether talc particles cause, ovarian cancer has not been definitively proven by scientists. Given the uncertainty regarding talc, it seems prudent to limit its use in the genital area.”
In addition to talc-free baby powders, cornstarch, arrowroot, and tapioca powders, oat flour, baking soda and zinc-based diaper rash creams may serve as suitable substitutions for talc powder.
Legal decisions involving talcum powder have been making headlines for years, including a major $72 million settlement in 2016. During the landmark case, Johnson & Johnson was ordered to pay damages to the family of a woman whose death from ovarian cancer was said to have been caused by using the company’s baby powder.
J&J has suffered multiple legal defeats in court, totaling hundreds of millions. Most recently, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the company’s appeal to contest a $2 billion verdict awarded to 22 women who claim talc powder led to their cancer diagnosis. Litigation continues full steam ahead, with over 37,000 remaining cases stemming from asbestos contamination from talc products.
If you believe you have a qualifying case, we are here to provide a free, no-obligation case review to determine if you may be eligible for a settlement. If you are, we’ll carefully match you with the best attorney for your case. There are no legal fees unless you win compensation. Contact us today to get started.
For more information on talc, its uses, safety, and the possible link to cancer, visit these trusted sources:
If you or a loved one is suffering from ovarian cancer or mesothelioma related to industrial talc or cosmetic talcum powder, you could be eligible for compensation.
A member of our team is standing by ready to help you pursue your legal claim or guide you with your talcum powder claim.
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