Johnson & Johnson pays out 60 million dollars to plaintiff.
Nearly 60,000 legal disputes are pending against drug manufacturer Johnson & Johnson in the US. The company is being blamed for their talcum powder containing asbestos, leading to cancer in numerous individuals. This is costing them hundreds of millions.
The massive American pharmaceuticals and consumer goods company, Johnson & Johnson (J&J), has endured another blow in the lawsuit surge over its allegedly asbestos-tainted talcum powder. A Portland jury awarded the plaintiff and her husband $60 million in compensatory damages and $200 million in punitive damages. Kyung Lee, the plaintiff, was identified with mesothelioma last year when she was 48 years old. The company plans to appeal the decision.
Lee asserted that her terminal mesothelioma could be traced back to her years-long exposure to the substance through J&J's talcum powder and deodorants. An attorney for J&J contended during the trial that her condition was most likely caused by a factory that utilized asbestos near her home. The verdict is considered "incompatible with decades of independent scientific assessments" proving the safety of baby powder, which contains no asbestos and doesn't cause cancer, according to the company.
Over 60,000 Litigants
The company is confronting civil claims from over 60,000 plaintiffs in the US for their talcum powder. The majority of the plaintiffs are female ovarian cancer patients, while only a small portion are mesothelioma sufferers.
J&J is trying to negotiate a $6.48 billion settlement payment for the majority of their talcum powder cases in light of a bankruptcy filing. The courts previously declined to accept two of their attempts to resolve the situations in bankruptcy proceedings.
The talcum powder court cases have ranged from triumphs for the plaintiffs to defeats for J&J. In 2021, 22 women with ovarian cancer were granted a $2.1 billion settlement. In April, J&J won a case involving ovarian cancer, but was compelled to pay $45 million in a mesothelioma case.
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Despite the company's assertions of talcum powder safety, ongoing legal battles in the USA continue to mount. Johnson & Johnson now faces over 61,000 lawsuits from individuals alleging that their talcum powder products, including Johnson's Baby Powder, contain asbestos, leading to cancer diagnoses such as mesothelioma or ovarian cancer.
Large settlements, like the $60 million award to Kyung Lee, demonstrate the financial impact of these lawsuits on Johnson & Johnson, further straining the USA-based corporation.
