We have won more than $40 billion in jury verdicts and settlements and have been in business for almost 70 years.
The talcum powder lawsuits claim the manufacturers failed to warn users of talc of the increased risk of ovarian cancer and mesothelioma when women use these products for personal hygiene.
Our law firm is seeking compensation for individuals who have been diagnosed with ovarian cancer or mesothelioma and who had significant exposure to talcum powder, including Johnson’s Baby Powder.
We have been handling lawsuits against product manufacturers since 1955. Each year we teach 1,500 attorneys how to successfully handle these cases. We are listed in Best Lawyers in America and The National Trial Lawyers Hall of Fame.
The talcum powder lawsuits claim the manufacturers of talcum powder have known for more than 40 years there is a link between using the product and ovarian cancer and mesothelioma.
Yet, these companies intentionally made the decision not to warn women that the powder could cause cancer by entering the lungs or the vagina after being applied for personal hygiene, and especially after use on the genital area or on sanitary napkins or condoms.
Women who use talcum power on a frequent basis for personal hygiene have a 30% higher chance of getting cancer.
The main talc products used for personal hygiene are: Johnson’s Baby Powder by Johnson & Johnson; Shower to Shower by Valeant Pharmaceuticals; and Baby Magic Baby Powder.
Talcum powder is a fibrous, white powder made by heavily refined hydrated magnesium silicate that is widely used as a lubricant and to absorb moisture. It’s the main ingredient of Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder as well as the adult version of similar personal hygiene products.
As a cosmetic, it’s mostly appreciated for its ability to absorb bad smells and keep the skin dry when sprinkled on underwear, shoes, and after changing infant diapers. As a lubricant, it’s often found in condoms and diaphragms to reduce friction, as well as in many medical powders.
Talcum can be used by direct application on the skin, dusted or sprinkled over underwear, diapers, and sanitary pads.
June 2024
On June 11, 2024, plaintiffs’ lawyers in the talc cancer MDL issued a statement cautioning other plaintiffs’ attorneys to thoroughly review documents and digest the science before recommending their clients accept J&J’s prepackaged Chapter 11 plan.
On June 20, 2024, plaintiffs’ attorneys published a list of more than 60 law firms that oppose the J&J prepack plan.
May 2024
On May 22, 2024, plaintiffs initiated a class action lawsuit (Murphy et al. v. LTL Management Inc. et al., Case No. 3:24-CV-06320 (D. N.J.)) on behalf of women and families whose talc-cancer cases were delayed due to Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J) alleged manipulation of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. The complaint asserts that the defendants fraudulently engaged in a scheme to transfer assets through two bad faith bankruptcy filings, aiming to limit their liability for talc claims. This maneuvering, according to the suit, caused a two-year delay in scheduled trials and other forms of resolution.
A few weeks earlier this month, a groundbreaking study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology revealed a significant connection between the use of genital talc and an increased risk of ovarian cancer. The research indicates that this risk is higher for individuals who used talc powder frequently or over extended periods.
On May 1, 2024, mass tort firms Levin Papantonio and Beasley Allen Law Firm issued a letter to the legal community warning about Johnson & Johnson’s “prepackaged” Chapter 11 proposal. Following two failed bankruptcy attempts, J&J is now directly seeking settlements from law firms for talc powder ovarian cancer lawsuits at reduced values.
For the settlement to be approved, 75% of plaintiffs, who developed mesothelioma or ovarian cancer from J&J’s talc powder, must agree to the terms. LPR Attorney Mike Papantonio and Beasley Allen Law Firm Attorney Andy Birchfield cautioned in a letter that J&J is attempting a “ballot-stuffing” tactic to secure this supermajority vote. They claim J&J is trying to include weaker claims to sway the vote, avoiding a fair decision by those genuinely affected.
November 2023
With at least 18 talc-ovarian cancer trials scheduled in state courts for the upcoming year, the initiative seeks to empower lawyers to effectively navigate these legal proceedings. This talc litigation bootcamp is strategically timed ahead of an anticipated third bankruptcy filing by J&J’s LTL Management subsidiary. This move by the pharmaceutical giant is intended to further postpone ongoing and future talc trials related to talcum powder products liability litigation. Presently, over 50,000 plaintiffs involved in the multidistrict litigation (MDL) claim that J&J’s talc products are responsible for the development of ovarian cancer among the claimants.
July 2023
U.S. Chief Bankruptcy Judge Michael Kaplan in the United States has rejected the second bankruptcy petition (Case No.: 23-12825) filed by Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J) subsidiary, LTL Management LLC. This decision has foiled J&J’s strategy of utilizing Chapter 11 as a method to address approximately 50,000 lawsuits that assert the company’s talc products were responsible for causing ovarian cancer among the claimants.
Johnson & Johnson is disputing scientific studies connecting talc-based personal care products to cancer. The corporation initiated legal action against four researchers responsible for the studies. In its lawsuit, J&J demands a retraction or correction of conclusions suggesting that talc products contaminated with asbestos may lead to mesothelioma.
This legal action from J&J occurred shortly before a jury ruled in favor of a man who alleged developing mesothelioma due to prolonged use of Johnson’s talc-based baby powder. Emory Hernandez Valadez, the plaintiff, testified during the trial that he would have refrained from using J&J’s baby powder had the company informed him of asbestos contamination. Valadez was awarded $18.8 million in California, but the collection of the judgment is postponed due to J&J’s bankruptcy defense strategy.
The most serious potential side effect from women using talcum powder is ovarian cancer (caused by the powder entering the ovaries through the vagina) and mesothelioma (caused by the talcum powder entering the lungs).
According to the International Journal of Gynecological Cancer, frequent talcum powder use on the female genital area increases the risk of cancer between 30–60%. The more often a woman uses it, the more likely she will experience cancer.
Dr. Daniel Cramer, with Harvard Medical School, says that thousands of women get ovarian cancer each year from talcum powder use.
Although the exact mechanism through which talcum powder causes cancer is still unknown, one theory involves chronic inflammation of the genital area, as talc particles rise through the uterus, up to the fallopian tubes and ovaries. Other than direct contact with the mucous membrane, the powder may also suppress some antibodies that usually protect against cancer, increasing its risk.
In general, prominent medical researchers, including obstetrician Dr. Daniel Cramer and Professor Karin Rosenblatt, agree that regular perineal use of talc-containing products can increase a woman’s risk of ovarian cancer by approximately 30%.
Talcum powder also has been associated with respiratory issues, including mesothelioma. This is caused by the powder becoming airborne during normal application. Prior to the 1970s, and even today, some talcum products contain asbestos, a naturally-occurring mineral and known carcinogen. Additionally, researchers have noted that talc has a chemical similarity to asbestos. Like asbestos, talc is a silicate mineral, having a crystalline structure. When ingested, these minerals have been known to cause irritation, leading to the chronic inflammation that can lead to the formation of cancerous tumors.
In October 2020, Johnson & Johnson agreed to pay $100 million to resolve more than 1,000 lawsuits in which plaintiffs allege that asbestos in Johnson & Johnson’s talcum powder causes cancer.
In March 2019, a California jury awarded $30 million to Teresa Leavitt who was diagnosed with mesothelioma which the jury found was caused by the use of Johnson & Johnson talcum powder.
In July 2018, a St. Louis jury awarded 22 women $4.6 billion against Johnson & Johnson for causing them to suffer ovarian cancer related to the use of baby powder and asbestos fibers contained in the J&J product.
In May 2018, Joanne Anderson received a $25 million jury verdict after a jury concluded that Ms. Anderson’s mesothelioma was caused by her use of talcum powder on her children and while she bowled.
In April 2018, Stephen Lanzo was awarded $37 million in compensatory damages, and $80 million in punitive damages, against Johnson & Johnson over claims that he contracted mesothelioma caused by extensive use of talc powder products that contained asbestos.
In August 2017, Eva Echeverria received a $417 million jury verdict. She was dying from stage 4 ovarian cancer, after having used baby powder on a daily basis from the 1950s through 2016. The verdict included $68 million in compensatory damages and $340 million in punitive damages.
In May 2017, a St. Louis jury awarded $110 million to Louis Slemp who was being treated for aggressive ovarian cancer that had metastasized to her liver. She had used baby powder for more than 40 years.
In November 2016, a California jury returned a verdict of $70 million for Deborah Giannecchini. She was undergoing radiation and chemotherapy for ovarian cancer, and had used talcum powder for more than 40 years. Sixty-five million dollars of the verdict was for punitive damages.
In May 2016, a jury found in favor of Gloria Ristesund, who was being treated for ovarian cancer. She had used Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder for decades. The amount awarded was $55 million.
In February 2016, a jury determined that Johnson & Johnson was responsible for the death of Jacqueline Fox, who had been using talcum powder for personal hygiene for more than 35 years. The total award was $72 million, including $62 million in punitive damages.
As of October 2021, more than 36,000 lawsuits were pending in federal court against the manufacturers of talcum powder by individuals claiming to have suffered cancer from exposure to this product. The cases are being heard by Judge Freda Wolfson in the District of New Jersey.
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Johnson & Johnson has agreed to pay more than $100 million to resolve over 1,000 lawsuits blaming its baby powder for causing cancer, in the first set of major settlements in four years of litigation. Published in Bloomberg News
In this ovarian cancer jury verdict, attorneys successfully argued that Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder and Shower to Shower contained asbestos. Scientists presented evidence that the tissue with the ovarian cancer cells contained asbestos and talc particles. Published in CNN – Asbestos Talc Verdict
Jurors in state court in California concluded Wednesday J&J was liable for Joanne Anderson’s mesothelioma and awarded the 68-year-old compensatory damages. Anderson’s lawyers said she was exposed to baby powder laced with the carcinogen when she used it on her children and while bowling. Published in Insurance Journal – Mesothelioma Verdict
Dr. Daniel Cramer, a professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive biology at Harvard Medical School and director of the OB/GYN Epidemiology Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, conducted one of the earliest studies to suggest a link between genital talc use in women and cancer of the ovaries. In his opinion, there is h4 evidence from about two-dozen epidemiological studies for a significant association between genital talc use and ovarian cancer. Published in Live Science – Potential Talcum Powder Cancer Link
The few studies that exist are contradictory. In some lab studies, scientists exposed asbestos-free talc to animals, which resulted in an increase in tumor formation in the animal. But other studies have not seen the same result, according to the American Cancer Society. Published in Huffington Post – Baby Powder Cancer Claim Information
Johnson & Johnson and its talc supplier have been hit with a $37 million verdict in compensatory damages over claims that a New Jersey man contracted a deadly form of cancer from using the healthcare giant’s talc powder products that contained asbestos. Published in USA Today – Mesothelioma Talc Powder Jury Verdict
A Los Angeles jury ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay a record $417 million to a hospitalized woman who claimed in a lawsuit that the talc in the company’s iconic baby powder causes ovarian cancer when applied regularly for feminine hygiene. Published in NBC News – $417 Million Baby Powder Jury Verdict
The plaintiff was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2012, and claimed her illness was caused by 40 years of talcum powder use. Her cancer had spread to her liver, and she was too ill to attend the trial. Published in NBC News – $110 Million Talc Powder Verdict
A jury awarded a Californian woman more than $70 million dollars in Johnson & Johnson’s third straight legal loss over claims that its talcum powder is linked to ovarian cancer. There are currently over 1,700 lawsuits being brought against the pharmaceutical giant and the last three verdicts present a foreboding picture to come for Johnson & Johnson. Published in National Law Journal – $70 Million Talcum Powder Cancer Award
Johnson & Johnson was ordered by a Missouri state jury to pay $72 million of damages to the family of a woman whose death from ovarian cancer was linked to her use of the company’s talc-based Baby Powder and Shower to Shower for several decades. In a verdict announced late Monday night, jurors in the circuit court of St. Louis awarded the family of Jacqueline Fox $10 million of actual damages and $62 million of punitive damages, according to the family’s lawyers and court records. Published in NBC News – $72 Million Baby Powder Cancer Verdict
A jury in St. Louis has ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $55 million to a South Dakota woman who claimed the company’s talcum powder caused her to develop ovarian cancer. Published in CBS News – Johnson & Johnson Talcum Powder Trial
Deane Berg’s doctor called her in the day after Christmas, 2006, to give her the crushing news. Berg had stage III ovarian cancer, and her prognosis was poor. Grappling with the “why me?” question, she studied the risk factors, finding just one that could apply: regular use of talcum powder for feminine hygiene. Published in Salon – Toxic Danger of Baby Powder
Talc use increased ovarian cancer risk by 30–60% in almost all well‐designed studies. The Attributable Risk was 29%, meaning that elimination of talc use could protect more than one quarter or more of women who develop ovarian cancer. Well‐designed studies that considered dose‐response by both duration and frequency all found higher risk among women exposed to more applications. Published in International Journal of Gynecological Cancer – Talc Ovarian Cancer Exposure
The biological basis of possible talc carcinogenicity is not understood. Direct physical contact of talc with ovarian epithelium may cause chronic inflammation; some studies have suggested retrograde transport of talc particles through the reproductive tract. A mechanism that would not require direct contact of talc with the tissue at risk is reduction of anti-MUC1 antibodies, which are associated with lower risk of ovarian cancer. Published in Journal of the National Cancer Institute – Talc Use and Ovarian Cancer
Talc, like asbestos, is a silicate that has been studied in relation to cancer risk. Several studies conducted over the past 25 years found an association between perineal talc powders and ovarian cancer. The summary relative risk is about 1.3 (95% confidence intervals 1.2-1.5) and these data have been interpreted as supporting a causal role. Published in European Journal for Cancer Prevention – Critical Review of Talc & Cancer
Some studies suggest a very slight increase in risk of ovarian cancer in women who used talc on the genital area. Published in American Cancer Society – Risk Factors for Ovarian Cancer
A life-time pattern of perineal talc use may increase the risk for epithelial ovarian cancer. Published in Obstetrics and Gynecology – Talc Use & Ovarian Cancer
Tissue was examined from patients with ovarian and cervical tumours. In both conditions talc particles were found deeply embedded within the tumour tissue. Published in International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology – Talc and Carcinoma
As of this time, there has not been a recall of any of the talc-based products as a result of ovarian cancer. However, it should be understood that talcum powder is not a product regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. The manufacturers regulate themselves for talcum powder.
No recall, but International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies talcum powder as possibly carcinogenic to humans.
There are numerous scientific studies (provided above) showing that women who use talcum powder on their genitalia once per week face up to a 30-60% increased risk of developing ovarian cancer.
Additionally, in 2006 the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified genital talcum powder use as possibly carcinogenic to humans. Similarly, in 1999 the American Cancer Society recommended women use cornstarch-based products, and not talc-based products, for the genital area.
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