Johnson & Johnson’s best-known product, baby powder, is made of crushed talc, a mineral composed primarily of magnesium, silicon, and oxygen. In powder form, it is effective at keeping skin dry and preventing rashes. For this reason, it’s widely used in baby powder and other cosmetic products. But for all its benefits — as our Memphis personal injury lawyers have seen for decades — talc comes with a big price. In its natural form, some talc contains asbestos, a fibrous mineral that has been linked to cancer.
Johnson & Johnson was long aware that its products were contaminated with asbestos.
According to the Securities and Exchange Commission, there are as many as 13,000 pending lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson over the link between talc-based body powders and cancer.
Late last year, Johnson & Johnson was ordered to turn over thousands of pages of confidential documents, including memos and internal reports. A Reuters investigation of the documents showed that J&J’s products had tested positive for traces of asbestos, and — despite decades of denials — the company’s executives knew about it.
From the Reuters report:
“A Reuters examination of many of those documents, as well as deposition and trial testimony, shows that from at least 1971 to the early 2000s, the company’s raw talc and finished powders sometimes tested positive for small amounts of asbestos, and that company executives, mine managers, scientists, doctors and lawyers fretted over the problem and how to address it while failing to disclose it to regulators or the public.”
A California jury just awarded $29 million to a cancer victim who used Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder.
Last Wednesday, a jury in Oakland, California rightfully held Johnson and Johnson responsible for their years of deception. They awarded $29 million to Teresa Leavett, a woman who regularly used J&J’s baby powder and who was later diagnosed with mesothelioma, a rare type of cancer caused by asbestos.
There are tens of thousands cases just like hers. Take Jackie Fox, a woman who didn’t live to see the $72 million a Missouri jury awarded her estate in a court battle carried on courageously by her son. Like, Leavitt, Fox regularly used J&J’s baby powder as well as its shower to shower powder. Both products contained talcum powder, and Fox died from ovarian cancer.
As a father and a husband, I know that there’s no amount of money that can ever compensate for the time we’ve lost with our loved ones. But verdicts like these are the closest thing to justice that exists. Our Memphis personal injury lawyers are outraged and ready to fight.
Our Memphis personal injury lawyers are currently taking talcum powder cases.
Our Memphis personal injury lawyers are currently taking talcum powder cases. If a woman you know has used Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder or shower to shower product consistently and developed ovarian cancer or mesothelioma, you may be entitled to compensation. Contact me today or call (901) 327-2100 to discuss your situation for free.