Johnson & Johnson Ordered to Pay Over Talcum Powder Tied to Cancer

In an order issued on Monday, jurors in St. Louis decided that Johnson & Johnson must pay roughly $72 million total to the family of Jackie Fox, a woman who claimed that the company’s talcum powder was the cause of her fatal ovarian cancer.

According to the case, the first of its kind to go to trial, Fox had used talc-based products from Johnson & Johnson for years. The case marks the first time that the company has been ordered to pay damages after allegedly knowing the dangers associated with its talc-based products. The claims accused Johnson & Johnson of knowing the possibility of their talc-based products to cause cancer and they failed to warn their potential consumers.

Johnson & Johnson is facing roughly 1,200 lawsuits that claim the company’s baby powder and shower-to-shower products have been linked to ovarian cancer and they were aware of the risks. In this case, Johnson & Johnson was ordered to pay $10 million in compensatory damages and a punishment award of $62 million to Fox’s family. This is the first case in which damages were awarded. A North Dakota case in 2013 found that the talc-based body powder was a contributor to a woman’s cancer, but no damages were awarded.

If you or someone you love has developed cancer after using certain talc-based products, you may have a potential claim against the manufacturer.

At Bailey Cowan Heckaman PLLC, our national defective product lawyers are determined to help victims who have developed a condition such as cancer because of a dangerous product. We aim to help recover damages for victims and their families. Contact our firm to learn if you have the right to file a claim against a company of a dangerous product.