Another verdict is in on the more than 9 thousand lawsuits that have been filed against Johnson & Johnson by consumers of their talcum powder who have had a diagnosis of cancer. In this latest verdict the jury awarded plaintiffs the largest amount in these cases to date, a whopping $4.7 billion dollars. The award covers damages to 22 women and their families who say asbestos found in the company’s talcum powder contributed to their ovarian cancer.
The jury awarded $4.14 billion in punitive damages and $550 million in compensatory damages to the plaintiffs, who said the company failed to warn consumers about the cancer risks.
“The majority of the lawsuits that J&J faces involve claims that talc itself caused ovarian cancer, but a smaller number of cases allege that contaminated talc caused mesothelioma, a tissue cancer closely linked to asbestos exposure.” -Reuters
Johnson and Johnson has maintained that their products are safe and that concerns about talc being linked to cancer are based on inconclusive research.
Chemical Free Life 