St. Louis jury awards in talcum powder lawsuit, Johnson & Johnson ordered to pay US$55 million in talcum powder trial

Johnson & Johnson was ordered by a US jury on Monday to pay US$55 million to a woman who said that using the company’s talcum powder products for feminine hygiene caused her to develop ovarian cancer.

The verdict is the second straight trial loss for the company, which is facing approximately 1,200 lawsuits accusing it of not adequately warning consumers about its talc products’ cancer risks.

Court records show the jury returned the verdict in favour of plaintiff Gloria Ristesund on Monday. It comes after a St. Louis jury in February awarded $72 million to the family of an Alabama woman who sued Johnson & Johnson over ovarian cancer she said was caused by using its baby powder and other products containing talcum.

Plaintiffs in talc litigation, which is concentrated in Missouri and New Jersey state courts, have accused Johnson & Johnson of failing for years to warn that talc was linked to an increased risk for ovarian cancer. Johnson & Johnson has said that it acted properly in developing and marketing the products.

A Johnson & Johnson spokeswoman says the New Jersey-based company is beginning the process to appeal the Monday ruling.

 

Spokeswoman Carol Goodrich says the decision goes against decades of research that supports the safety of cosmetic talc.