A 62-year old woman who used Johnson & Johnson’s talcum powder products for feminine hygiene claimed these products caused her to develop ovarian cancer. A jury in St. Louis, after deliberating a day, returned with a verdict in her favor, awarding her $5 million in compensatory damages and $50 million in punitive damages.
This is the second trial loss this year for Johnson & Johnson in which lawsuits claim their talcum powder products have caused ovarian cancer.
In February 2016, a St. Louis jury awarded $72 million to the family of a woman who died from ovarian cancer after years of using the talcum powder for feminine hygiene.
Allen Smith, Gloria Ristesund’s lawyer, told jurors “Science has been simple and consistent over the last 40 years: There’s an increased risk of ovarian cancer from genital use of talc. Ristesund used talc for four decades unaware there were any health concerns.”
More than 1,000 lawsuits have been filed alleging J&J knew of the studies linking its talcum powder products to ovarian cancer and failed to add a warning label on the products.
If you would like to receive news and updates on a regular basis, sign up to receive our email newsletter. Your email address will only be used to send you our newsletter and respond to inquiries.
Past results afford no guarantee of future results and each case is different and is judged on its own merits. The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertisements.
Photo Credit: JeepersMedia via Compfight cc