Los Angeles Jury Awards $40 Million to Women in Talc Cancer Case

A jury in Los Angeles has ruled that Johnson & Johnson must pay $40 million to two women who allege that the company’s talcum powder products caused their ovarian cancer. The verdict, delivered on Friday, marks a significant development in an ongoing legal battle regarding the safety of talc in products such as Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower body powder.

The jury awarded $18 million to Monica Kent and $22 million to Deborah Schultz and her husband. Their attorney, Daniel Robinson of the Robinson Calcagnie law firm, emphasized that the women had been loyal customers of Johnson & Johnson for approximately 50 years. He remarked, “That loyalty was a one-way street.”

In response to the verdict, Erik Haas, J&J’s worldwide vice president of litigation, announced the company’s intention to appeal the jury’s decision. Haas stated that the company had successfully defended itself in 16 of the 17 ovarian cancer cases it had previously tried. He also criticized the jury’s findings as inconsistent with decades of scientific research affirming that talc is safe, free from asbestos, and does not cause cancer.

The case is part of a broader landscape of litigation surrounding Johnson & Johnson’s talc products. In October 2022, another jury ordered the company to pay $966 million to the family of a woman who died of mesothelioma, a cancer associated with asbestos exposure, which they claimed was linked to contaminated baby powder.

In 2023, Johnson & Johnson ceased global sales of talc-based powder, opting instead to replace it with cornstarch in North American markets starting in 2020. The company has faced mounting legal challenges due to claims that its talcum powder products are linked to various cancers, particularly ovarian cancer and mesothelioma.

In April of this year, a U.S. bankruptcy court judge rejected J&J’s proposal to settle ongoing litigation related to ovarian and other gynecological cancers for $9 billion. This latest jury ruling underscores the continuing challenges Johnson & Johnson faces in addressing the concerns surrounding its talc products.

As the legal proceedings evolve, both the company and the plaintiffs anticipate further developments in this high-profile case.