The United States Supreme Court has declined to hear Johnson & Johnson’s appeal of a $2.12 billion award in a baby powder cancer lawsuit.
Award Stands in Baby Powder Cancer Lawsuit
The Supreme Court announced that it would not consider Johnson & Johnson’s appeal on June 1, 2021. The Court’s order on this matter had no noted dissents, though Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Justice Samuel Alito both recused themselves from consideration of the case.
Johnson & Johnson had sought to undo a significant verdict in a baby powder cancer lawsuit brought by twenty women from a dozen different states who alleged that the company’s talc-based baby powder products caused their ovarian cancer. In 2018, a St. Louis jury awarded $25 million in compensatory damages to each plaintiff. Additionally, the jurors added more than $4 billion in punitive damages. At the time, it was the sixth-largest award in American legal history, though a state appeals court later cut the award by more than half to $2.12 billion.
When the Missouri Supreme Court upheld that modified award in 2020, Johnson & Johnson petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to review the penalty against it. The Court’s refusal to hear the company’s appeal means that the award will stand.
More Than 21,000 Other Lawsuits
In addition to the baby powder cancer lawsuit appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, Johnson & Johnson is facing more than 21,000 other suits over its talc products, some dating as far back as 2013. The company has lost similar cases at trial, with juries ordering it to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in damages.
Johnson & Johnson stopped selling talc-based baby powder in the United States and Canada in May 2020, claiming that there was reduced demand for these products that was “fueled by misinformation around the safety of the product and a constant barrage of litigation advertising.”
Helping Victims of Dangerous Products
If you or a loved one have been seriously harmed because of a dangerous consumer product, you might be eligible to receive financial compensation by filing a personal injury lawsuit. To increase your chances of achieving a successful outcome, do what so many others have done before you and reach out to the dedicated personal injury attorneys at GWC Injury Lawyers LLC.
With more than $2 billion recovered in verdicts and settlements on behalf of wrongfully injured clients, GWC is one of the premier Personal Injury and Workers’ Compensation law firms in Illinois. For over four decades, our Chicago personal injury lawyers have been fighting to make sure that no negligent corporation can hold itself above the law. We have the experience, the determination, the resources, and the reputation of success you need to get you and your family the justice you deserve.
Contact GWC today to schedule a free, no-obligation case evaluation with one of our injury attorneys. You may call our office at (312) 464-1234 or click here to chat with a representative at any time.
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