September 30, 2016 — Jury selection is underway in the third talcum powder lawsuit to proceed to trial in St. Louis.
The plaintiff, Deborah Giannecchini, is a hospital secretary who says 45 years of using Johnson’s Baby Powder for feminine hygiene caused her to develop cancer.
She began using it as a teenager in 1967 and continued until she was diagnosed with metastatic ovarian cancer in 2012.
After undergoing chemotherapy and a hysterectomy, she filed a lawsuit accusing Johnson & Johnson of failing to warn woman about the risks of using talcum powder in the genital area.
St. Louis Circuit Court is known for fast trials and big jury awards — $72 million was awarded in February to the family of a woman who died of ovarian cancer. In May, another jury awarded $55 million to a cancer survivor who used baby powder for over 40 years.
Hundreds of similar lawsuits are now pending in St. Louis. According to Bloomberg, a quirk in Missouri law allows up to 99 people from other states to file lawsuits so long as one lawsuit is filed by a local resident.
The city has been inundated with advertisements from lawyers seeking local plaintiffs. Between March and May 2016, nearly 25% of all ads for talcum powder cases aired in St. Louis.
Last month, lawyers for Johnson & Johnson requested a change of venue at least 100 miles away from St. Louis. They said the jury pool was unfairly tainted by advertisements and media coverage of previous jury awards.
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 has been 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 toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
Attention Lawyers: We consider a referral from another law firm to be one of the greatest compliments. If your firm is interested in referring us a case or for us to send you a list of previous award judgments and/or average referral fees, please visit the Lawyer Referral section of our website.[/box]
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC has been recognized as one of the nation’s leading plaintiffs' law firms and handles cases in all 50 states. We are very proud of our legal achievements, but equally self-respecting of our firm's reputation for providing personal attention to each and every client we represent.
