THE WHAT? A Los Angeles Superior Court docket jury has awarded US$40m in compensatory damages in opposition to Johnson & Johnson in a talc-related ovarian most cancers lawsuit involving two long-term customers of the corporate’s child powder merchandise.
THE DETAILS The decision follows a four-week trial introduced by plaintiffs Monica Kent and Deborah Schultz, who developed ovarian most cancers after a long time of utilizing talc-based child powder. The damages award additionally contains compensation for Schultz’s husband, Dr. Albert Schultz.
Jurors heard testimony from former US Meals and Drug Administration commissioner Dr. David Kessler, who cited inside Johnson & Johnson paperwork relationship again to the Seventies and testified that the corporate was conscious of asbestos contamination dangers in talc merchandise for many years. Medical specialists introduced epidemiological and pathological proof linking frequent genital talc use to elevated ovarian most cancers threat.
The case marks the primary plaintiffs’ verdict in a talc–ovarian most cancers trial since 2021 and is the primary of not less than 10 trials anticipated by the primary half of 2026. It proceeds independently of federal multidistrict litigation in New Jersey, the place greater than 70,000 talc-related claims stay pending following a number of failed chapter methods by Johnson & Johnson.
THE WHY? The ruling will increase litigation and monetary threat publicity for legacy talc merchandise and retains regulatory, authorized and reputational scrutiny on cosmetic-grade talc sourcing, disclosure and long-term security throughout the sweetness and private care trade.
Supply: Businesswire
