New Jersey Talcum Powder Cancer Lawsuits Top 200

The case list documenting talcum powder lawsuits in New Jersey confirms 224 claims currently filed in multicounty litigation.

Friday, September 30, 2016 - The total number of Johnson & Johnson's baby powder ovarian cancer lawsuits filed in New Jersey multicounty litigation has officially topped 200, with a total of 224 claims listed as of a September 10. The website for the New Jersey court system offers a link to the entire case list, which grew by 20 lawsuits between August 26 and September 6 alone. The motion to transfer the litigation into multicounty litigation was approved on November 25, 2015, at which time only 103 talcum powder lawsuits were transferred.

As many of the more than 1,200 talcum powder lawsuits around the country await the outcome of yesterday's Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation hearing session on the future of a potential MDL, the New Jersey lawsuits will remain in the state court system as Johnson & Johnson is headquartered in the state. However, the proceedings that are happening in federal and state courts do have the potential to influence each other.

There was a large development in the New Jersey litigation recently as a judge threw out two talcum powder lawsuits after finding that the medical evidence offered by attorneys representing the plaintiffs was not sufficient to stand trial. After a year in which Johnson & Johnson was handed two large defeats in $72 million and $55 million judgments given to talcum powder lawsuit plaintiffs, the dismissals represented one of the first major steps forward for the defense in 2016. The judge's focus on the medical evidence as the determining factor that led to the dismissal is significant as Johnson & Johnson has maintained that the studies plaintiffs were relying on to support their baby powder lawsuits did not provide grounds for legal action.

New Jersey is one of the two largest hubs in the country for talcum powder lawsuits. The other is in St. Louis, where a majority of the nation's claims are filed. The New Jersey litigation however still holds a large influence over the direction of the country's proceedings, and the dismissal of the claims by the New Jersey state judge sent shockwaves to all those involved in baby powder ovarian cancer lawsuits around the country.

However, a new talcum powder lawsuit trial has just gotten underway in St. Louis. If the most recent claim before the City of St. Louis Circuit Court presents similar evidence to the ones dismissed by the New Jersey state court, it could lessen the perceived blow the judge's action had on the nationwide litigation. The plaintiffs and talcum powder attorneys behind the 200-plus lawsuits filed in New Jersey will likely be following the outcome of the St. Louis trial closely for its potential to influence future precedents in their state litigation.

The plaintiffs and baby powder lawyers behind these lawsuits claim that Johnson & Johnson was aware that its talcum powder products had been linked to ovarian cancer for decades and decided against warning consumers of the potential risk. In addition to the more than 1,200 talcum powder lawsuits currently filed around the country, law firms have also reported thousands of prospective plaintiffs contacting their offices to inquire about filing claims against the health care company in the near future.

Information provided by TalcumPowderCancerLawsuit.com, a website devoted to providing news about talcum powder ovarian cancer lawsuits, as well as medical research and findings.