Earlier this month, a St. Louis jury announced the verdict of the latest talcum powder case involving manufacturer Johnson & Johnson. The company has been ordered to pay $55 million to the plaintiff, who claims her ovarian cancer was caused by use of their Baby Powder products.
The plaintiff in this case reported using Baby Powder for feminine hygiene purposes. Following that use, she received a diagnosis of ovarian cancer, which has since gone into remission.
Johnson & Johnson has announced they will appeal the verdict.
Link between Talcum Powder and Cancer
According to the Associated Press, an internal memo drafted in 1997 by a Johnson & Johnson medical consultant stated that those who deny the ovarian cancer risk associated with using hygienic talc would be denying clear evidence of the contrary.
Multiple medical studies dating as far back as the 1980s clearly link talc use with a higher risk of ovarian cancer. While experts say a direct link between talc use to ovarian cancer is difficult to determine, talc has been found in the tissues of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
In a talcum powder lawsuit decided earlier this year, Johnson & Johnson was ordered to pay the family of an ovarian cancer victim $72 million in damages, both actual and punitive. The victim succumbed to her cancer in 2015, but received her initial diagnosis in 2013 after 35 years of using Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower products for feminine hygiene. The family’s attorneys alleged the manufacturer knew of the risks but failed to notify consumers.
The company was also found liable in a case in 2013, though the South Dakota jury did not award monetary damages to the plaintiff.
Have you or someone you love received an ovarian cancer diagnosis after using talcum powder? If so, you may be entitled to seek compensation through a lawsuit. The attorneys at GWC Injury Lawyers will work to maximize compensation on your behalf.
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