By Sandra Dalton, Staff Writer
On January 6, 2020, Superior Court Judge Stephen Kaus announced that Johnson & Johnsons (J&J) had agreed to settle the case mid-trial. Although the details of the settlement were not made public, Bloomberg reports that, according to people close to the case, J&J agreed to pay Linda O’Hagan and her family $2 million. O’Hagan claimed that talcum powder contaminated with asbestos had caused her mesothelioma. J&J maintains that its talc products do not contain asbestos and do not cause cancer.
17,000 Lawsuits
J&J is facing nearly 17,000 product liability suits accusing the company of knowing its talcum powder products were contaminated with talc and hiding it for years, instead of warning consumers of the risk of developing cancer.
In October 2019, J&J recalled 33,000 bottles of baby powder after the FDA found asbestos on a bottle of J&J baby powder that it purchased and tested. The Oakland California jury, in the O’Hagan trial, was one of the first juries to be aware of the recall.
New Mexico Suing J&J
On January 3, 2020, New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas filed a lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies Inc., Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Corp. and Valeant Pharmaceuticals North America LLC. The companies are accused of targeting minorities and children with marketing that mislead consumers to believe their products were safe and healthful while knowing for over 40 years that the products were contaminated with asbestos.
If you or someone you love has developed mesothelioma or ovarian cancer after regular use of talcum powder products for feminine hygiene, contact an experienced product liability attorney and schedule your free consultation.
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