April 2, 2019 — Johnson & Johnson has agreed to pay confidential settlements to avoid trials involving 3 women who developed mesothelioma after using the company’s talcum powder products that were contaminated with asbestos.
The first settlement ended a trial in Oklahoma while the jury was deciding whether to award financial damages. The second settlement ended another lawsuit mid-trial in California. The third settlement prevented a case in New York from going to trial in the coming weeks, according to Law360.
The slew of settlements may be a signal that attorneys for J&J are willing to pay up to prevent multi-million or billion-dollar jury verdicts.
For example, a case involving 22 women who developed ovarian cancer after using Johnson’s Baby Powder and other talcum powder products ended with a jury in Missouri awarding $4.69 billion.
The company may be paying settlements in specific cases when lawyers believe that the trials would pose the biggest risks.
Attorneys may also be avoiding damaging evidence from emerging in trials. In previous trials, lawyers for people with cancer presented internal documents suggesting that J&J knew about asbestos contamination in its talc powder products — and tried to keep it quiet.
News reports on that evidence sent J&J stock prices plummeting by 17%, for a drop of $40 billion in the company’s market value.
J&J is currently facing approximately 13,000 lawsuits from people who developed mesothelioma or ovarian cancer after using talc products.
Do I have a Baby Powder Cancer Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting talcum powder induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been 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 toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
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