Johnson & Johnson to pay $37.3 million in talc lawsuit

In early September, the drug giant Johnson & Johnson was ordered to pay out $37.3 million on yet another cancer case relating to the asbestos found in a talc-based baby powder. Louisville residents should know that the four plaintiffs allegedly used the baby powder and developed mesothelioma as a result: a rare, aggressive cancer with few effective treatment options.

Johnson & Johnson has been faced with talc litigation for years now. A recent quarterly filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission found that the corporation is facing 15,500 talc lawsuits in all. In virtually every case, the corporation appealed the decision, and every verdict that has been appealed has been overturned. Johnson & Johnson has pledged to appeal this most recent decision as well.

Company representatives state that they were unable to present crucial information to the jury and that other legal and evidentiary errors were committed during the trial. The company’s entire closing statement was struck because it contained derogatory comments on the plaintiffs’ attorneys.

Representatives say that the baby powder contains no asbestos and that juries in recent times have come to the same conclusion. They state that 40 years’ worth of independent scientific evaluations also back up their claims. Besides talc claims, Johnson & Johnson is facing lawsuits for contributing to the opioid crisis.

Those who are faced with a cancer diagnosis, especially for mesothelioma, will want to know exactly how they came to develop the condition. Mesothelioma is almost always caused by asbestos exposure, and asbestos is not exactly everywhere. One may be exposed to it in certain products or through the materials found in old buildings. Whatever the situation, mesothelioma patients may be able to file a claim and be reimbursed for their losses. This is where legal counsel may be of benefit.