By now you’ve probably heard about the $72 million verdict a jury found against Johnson & Johnson for the link between talcum powder and ovarian cancer. I know a lot of people might hear this $ amount and say, “That’s ridiculous.” But if you could only see the documents (which so far have only been seen by a jury and a few lawyers), you would understand why that jury was angry.

The products in question are shower to shower powder and baby powder. Many women use these products from the time they are babies well into adulthood. 

In my opinion, the evidence obtained through discovery in this case shows overwhelmingly that Johnson & Johnson knew very well that the talcum powder could cause ovarian cancer. In fact, the evidence shows the company deliberately did not warn users, and to this day still hasn’t done so. 

But Johnson & Johnson knows what the research says: 7 years of using talcum powder doubles the risk of cancer. 20 years of use triples it. An estimated 20-30K cases of ovarian cancer occur each year, and an estimated 10% of those are related to talc

How do we know this? Because talc, the ingredient in question, tells us. In the recent case, Johnson & Johnson tried to deny their product’s involvement, but the plaintiff had talc in her malignant tumor

As a Memphis dangerous drug lawyer, I can’t stress enough how serious and important this case is. It will likely lead to many more women speaking up and seeking justice. As it should.