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Baby Powder Lawsuit

Baby Powder Lawsuit

Johnson & Johnson is facing at least 60,000 lawsuits from people with ovarian cancer and mesothelioma who used Johnson’s Baby Powder or other talc products. Recent trials have ended in over $2 billion in jury verdicts.

What You Can Do & How We Can Help

The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting baby powder induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know was diagnosed with ovarian cancer or mesothelioma, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Product Liability Litigation Group or call us toll-free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.

UPDATE: Johnson & Johnson Offers $8.9 Billion Talc Settlement

In April 2023, Johnson & Johnson offered to pay an $8.9 billion settlement to resolve about 60,000 lawsuits involving people who developed mesothelioma or ovarian cancer after using talcum powder products.

J&J Ends Sales of Talc Baby Powder in U.S. After 20,000 Lawsuits

In May 2020, Johnson & Johnson announced that it would stop selling talc-based Johnson’s Baby Powder in the U.S. and Canada. The company cited declining sales and “misinformation around the safety of the product and a constant barrage of litigation advertising.”

Nearly 20,000 lawsuits have been filed by women with ovarian cancer who accuse J&J of failing to warn about the safety risks of talcum powder. Lawsuits have also been filed by people with mesothelioma who were exposed to asbestos in talcum powder.

Baby Powder Recalled for Asbestos Contamination

In October 2019, Johnson & Johnson recalled Lot #22318R of Johnson’s Baby Powder after it tested positive for asbestos contamination.

$325 Million Awarded in Baby Powder Mesothelioma Lawsuit

June 2019 — A jury ordered Johnson & Jonson to pay $325 million to Donna Olson, a woman who developed mesothelioma after years of using Johnson’s Baby Powder. Click here to read more.

J&J Pays Settlements to Avoid Baby Powder Cancer Trials

April 2019 — Johnson & Johnson paid confidential settlements to 3 women with mesothelioma who used baby powder and other talc products that were contaminated with asbestos. Click here to read more.

California Jury Awards $417 Million in Baby Powder Trial

In August 2017, a woman who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2007 after using Johnson’s Baby Powder since the 1950s was awarded $417 million by a jury in Los Angeles, California. Click here to read more.

$110 Million Verdict in 5th Baby Powder Trial

In May 2017, $110 million was awarded to a woman who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer after 40 years of using Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower-to-Shower. It was the 5th jury trial accusing J&J of failing to warn women about the risk of cancer, despite decades of evidence.

Baby Powder Lawsuit Information

Baby Powder Lawsuit MDL
Baby Powder Class Action Lawsuits
$70 Million Jury Awarded in 3rd Baby Powder Lawsuit
$55 Million Awarded in 2nd Baby Powder Lawsuit
$72 Million Awarded in 1st Baby Powder Lawsuit
Are you having surgery for ovarian cancer?

Baby Powder Lawsuits Centralized in MDL

Judges have centralized all federal cases in a Multi-District Litigation (MDL No. 2738) under U.S. District Judge Freda L. Wolfson in the District New Jersey.

$72 Million Awarded to Woman Who Died of Cancer

In February 2016, a jury in St. Louis, Missouri awarded $72 million to the family of a woman from Alabama from who died of ovarian cancer. The woman, Jacqueline Fox, used baby powder for decades as a feminine hygiene product. Lawyers showed a jury a memo from 1994 that acknowledged concerns about cancer and recommended increasing marketing efforts toward black and Hispanic women.

$70 Million Awarded in St. Louis Baby Powder Trial

In October 2016, a jury in St. Louis awarded $70 million to a woman who was diagnosed with Stage-4 ovarian cancer after using Johnson’s Baby Powder for 45 years, from 1967 to 2012. Her lawyers said Johnson & Johnson had been urged since at least 1982 to use warning labels.

Jury Awards $55 Million in Baby Powder Lawsuit

In May 2016, a jury in St. Louis awarded $55 million to Gloria Ristesund, a woman who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2011 after using baby powder genitally for 40 years. Now in remission, she claims Johnson & Johnson failed to warn about the risk of cancer.

Are You Having Surgery for Ovarian Cancer?

Important Information: If you believe baby powder or talc may have contributed to your illness, consider preserving the tissue samples for examination when you have surgery to remove cancerous tissue. If doctors find particles of talcum, it could strengthen a legal claim.

Baby Powder Cancer Information

What is Baby Powder?
Is Baby Powder Safe?
What is the risk of ovarian cancer?
What is ovarian cancer?
Symptoms of Ovarian Cancer
Baby Powder and Endometrial Cancer

What is Baby Powder?

Baby powder is marketed for the treatment and prevention of diaper rash. Some products contain talcum powder, a mineral that is used to absorb moisture and reduce friction. It has also been marketed for use by adult women as a feminine hygiene product.

Is Baby Powder Safe?

Talcum powder is harmful if inhaled because it dries out mucous membranes in the lungs, which is why the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends against using baby powder. They cited dozens of cases in which babies inhaled talcum, including some babies who developed pneumonia and died.

Baby Powder Class Action Lawsuit

Law 360 reported in April 2014 that a baby powder class action lawsuit was filed by a woman who used Johnson’s Baby Powder since the 1950s. The plaintiff, Mona Estrada, is seeking to represent other women in California who used the product and were unaware that it could lead to ovarian cancer when used in the genital area.

Study Finds 30% Increased Risk of Ovarian Cancer

One study, published in Anticancer Research in 2003, found a 33% increased risk of ovarian cancer among women who regularly used talcum powder. In 2009, another study published by Harvard researchers found a 36% increased risk of ovarian cancer linked to talcum powder used in the genital area. Most recently, a study published in 2013 by Cancer Prevention Research found a 20-30% increased risk of ovarian caner linked to talcum powder.

What is Ovarian Cancer?

Ovarian cancer is one of the rarest cancers, but it is also one of the deadliest. About 22,000 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the United States every year, and it causes 14,000 deaths. The problem is that symptoms are usually mild, which often delays diagnosis and treatment until the cancer has already spread to the pelvis or abdomen.

Symptoms

  • Vaginal bleeding
  • Abnormal vaginal discharge
  • Frequent bloating
  • Pain in the belly or pelvis
  • Abdominal pressure, fullness, swelling
  • Changes in bowel or bladder habits (constipation, frequent urination, etc.)
  • Persistent fatigue
  • Low back pain
  • Loss of appetite or feeling full

Baby Powder & Endometrial Cancer

Endometrial cancer is the most common type of uterine cancer. In 2010, a study found a 24% increased risk of endometrial cancer among post-menopausal women who used baby powder on the genitals at least once a week. The conclusions of the study (PDF) were based on data from 66,000 women between 1982 and 2004.

Do I have a Baby Powder Lawsuit?

The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting baby powder induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Product Liability Litigation Group or call us toll-free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.

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