Over 700 Talcum Powder Lawsuits Filed Nationwide
The number of talcum powder lawsuits filed nationwide has topped 700, with new cases expected in the coming months.
Monday, August 10, 2015 - As lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson continue to be filed nationwide, the total number of lawsuits filed against the talcum powder manufacturer is reportedly over 700 and on the rise. Plaintiffs around the country have claimed that the talcum powder the company sells has been linked to an increased risk of ovarian cancer in a number of studies and yet the defendants have failed to warn customers of those dangers and ignored the talcum powder research in relation to their products.
The products named in the lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson are the company's Baby Powder and Shower to Shower products. Plaintiffs have referenced a number of studies that have produced talcum powder research demonstrating the association between talcum powder and ovarian cancer. Particles from the product reportedly make their way up a womens vaginal tract and solidify in the ovaries. This process leads to an increased risk in ovarian cancer, with research estimating the probability of that increase being anywhere from 20 to 35 percent.
The two largest talcum powder lawsuit groups in the country are currently in litigation in St. Louis and New Jersey. The St. Louis lawsuits, which includes roughly 50 plaintiffs, recently underwent a status conference hearing to decide which cases would proceed to trial and which ones were fit to be resolved outside of court. These lawsuits name Johnson & Johnson as a defendant, as well as Imerys Talc America (a talc mining company) and Walgreens (as a distributor) in their claims that all these companies ignored the studies showing that talc could increase the risk of ovarian cancer for women.
The New Jersey trials encompass over 100 lawsuits and have been undergoing developments in a push for multicounty litigation in the past handful of weeks. Defendant Johnson & Johnson, which is based in New Jersey, made the first move by filing a motion to transfer all the lawsuits before the Atlantic Superior Court to coordinate and expedite litigation relating to talcum powder lawsuits. A few weeks later, plaintiffs filing the lawsuits agreed to pursue multicounty litigation, however proposed that the lawsuits be consolidated before the Middlesex County Court. These cases are likely headed to multicounty litigation in New Jersey, and a hearing in the near future will determine which venue will host the litigation.
The first talcum powder lawsuit filed went to trial and saw the jury award in favor of the plaintiff, however awarded them no damages. Since then, hundreds of lawsuits nationwide have been filed with similar claims of an increased risk in ovarian cancer caused by talcum powders. Plaintiffs claim that Johnson & Johnson failed to warn customers of the potential risk despite a number of studies that repeatedly found a strong connection between the product and ovarian cancer. Plaintiffs allege that Johnson & Johnson withheld information relating to the ovarian cancer risk from the public in an effort to protect the marketability of their products.
Already over 700 lawsuits, the number of cases filed against the manufacturers and distributors of talcum powder are expected to grow as news of the current litigation spreads throughout the country. Building on the affirmative jury verdict given to the first talcum powder lawsuit, the current filings seek to recover damages from the defendants for failing to warn consumers of the dangers associated with their talcum powder products.
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