Talcum Powder and Cancer

New Jersey Jury Hits Johnson & Johnson with $37 Million Verdict in Asbestos Talcum Powder Lawsuit

April 9, 2018 | Throneberry Law Group

A New Jersey state jury recently handed down a substantial verdict in favor of the plaintiff in a groundbreaking talcum powder asbestos cancer lawsuit filed against pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson. After weeks of testimony, the jury awarded the plaintiff $37 million in damages to the plaintiff who claimed he developed mesothelioma after years of inhaling asbestos-contaminated talc products produced by the defendants.

The Middlesex Superior Court jury determined that Johnson & Johnson was 70% responsible for the plaintiff’s mesothelioma diagnosis and France-based talc supplier Imerys was liable for the remaining 30% of damages. The verdict came on the first full day of deliberations after two months of testimony in which both sides argued vigorously for their positions and multiple expert witnesses were called to testify.

During the trial, Johnson & Johnson’s defense lawyers argued that the plaintiff could have contracted mesothelioma from various other sources. It noted that the house in Montclair, New Jersey where the plaintiff grew up once had asbestos-wrapped pipes and that the public schools attended were also treated for asbestos at some point in the past. Fortunately, jurors sided with the plaintiff and his wife and awarded them the appropriate amount of compensation for their damages.

First Talcum Powder Asbestos Cancer Lawsuit Trial in New Jersey Begins

January 27, 2018 | Throneberry Law Group

Jury selection has begun in the first talcom powder asbestos cancer lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson in New Jersey, with opening statements expected to be made a few days later. Legal experts across the country will be keeping an eye on the case after a California jury sided with the defense in a similar case alleging that Johnson & Johnson’s asbestos-contaminated talcum powder products caused a female plaintiff’s mesothelioma cancer.

According to the mesothelioma cancer lawsuit, filed in Middlesex County Superior Court, the plaintiff developed mesothelioma as a result of using Johnson & Johnson’s talc-based products, Baby Powder and Shower to Shower. The plaintiff claims that she inhaled asbestos fibers from the contaminated products produced by the defendants and that they knew the products to contain asbestos but chose not to warn users.

In their response to the lawsuit, the defendants denied liability for the plaintiff’s injuries, claiming that faulty tests on their products revealed false positives showing the presence of asbestos. Johnson & Johnson recently had a successful defense of a similar asbestos talcum powder cancer claim in California and the plaintiff’s attorney secured a substantial $22 million jury verdict against Imerys Talc America, Inc. and Vanderbilt Minerals, LLC in California state court.

Colgate-Palmolive settles claim linking asbestos to its talcum-powder

November 14, 2017 | Throneberry Law Group

Colgate-Palmolive Co. will avoid going to trial in a New Jersey state courtroom as they agree to settle a lawsuit linking asbestos to its talcum-powder.

Carol Schoeniger, a Pennsylvania woman filed a lawsuit against the New York-based company claiming its talcum-powder caused her to develop mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer caused by asbestos exposure. The financial terms of the settlement have not been made public.

This is not the first claim that talc users have made against the brand. Colgate-Palmolive has resolved 43 cases and is currently facing 170 cases in which accusers allege they were sold asbestos-laced powder.

Memo Reveals J&J Knew About Possible Asbestos in Talcum Powder for Decades

October 9, 2017 | Throneberry Law Group

Cosmetics and personal hygiene products company Johnson & Johnson has made massive headlines in recent months over substantial jury verdicts handed down against the company over allegations that it knew for years about the possible causal link between using talcum powder and developing ovarian cancer. Now, J&J could be open to even more liability after an internal company memo surfaced in another trial that shows it also knew its talcum powder products could also be contaminated with asbestos, a flaky white mineral known to cause the deadly lung cancer mesothelioma.

Attorneys representing more than 50 clients in a class action lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson recently unveiled internal company memos suggesting that the defendant was aware as far back as the 1970s that some of its talcum powder from a pair of mines was contaminated with asbestos. Those contaminated sources allegedly came from mines in Vermont and Italy and appear to directly contradict the company’s claims that its talc-based products have been asbestos-free since the federal government declared asbestos a dangerous carcinogen many decades ago.

Those memos, dated to 1973, state that Johnson & Johnson found two different types of asbestos in its talcum powder, prompting one company official to suggest switching its Baby Powder ingredients to corn starch instead. Furthermore, documents obtained by the plaintiffs show that the defendant went as far as to rewrite product booklets to omit the fact talcum powder from the Italian mine contained the cancer-causing mineral.