UPDATE 1-J&J beats lawsuit alleging that talc caused three women's cancer

جونسون آند جونسون

Johnson & Johnson

JNJ

0.00

Adds comment from plaintiff's attorney in bullet point 6

By Dietrich Knauth

- A Los Angeles jury on Friday sided with Johnson & Johnson JNJ.N in a lawsuit by the families of three women who alleged that the company's talc products caused ovarian cancer, finding that J&J was not negligent when selling cosmetic talc products.

  • The lawsuit was filed by the families of Mary Owens, Bonnie Tienken and Geneva Williams, who each died of ovarian cancer after using talc-based baby powder.

  • More than 67,000 plaintiffs have sued J&J, alleging that its baby powder and other talc products cause ovarian cancer.

  • J&J has won some cases outright, including an Oklahoma trial last week, but juries have awarded large verdicts for plaintiffs in other cases.

  • J&J stopped selling talc-based baby powder in the U.S. in 2020, switching to a cornstarch product.

  • The case was based on "junk science," said Erik Haas, J&J's vice president of litigation.

  • The verdict is "disappointing," said lawyer Ari Friedman, who represented one of the plaintiffs.

  • J&J has settled a majority of cases alleging that its products caused mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer associated with asbestos.

  • Nearly all of the remaining cases allege that talc products cause ovarian cancer.