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New Multi-Plaintiff Talc-Based Powder Exposure Complaint Filed in New Mexico State Court
Jun 6, 2016 | Harris Martin Publishing
...“The risk that talcum was a carcinogenic substance was known,” the complaint asserted, “or should have been known to the Johnson & Johnson Defendants for at least 40 ... -
Is junk science flooding St. Louis airwaves?
Jun 7, 2016 | St. Louis Post-Dispatch
By Travis Akin
...And in St. Louis, we’ve seen the number of these ads spike in recent months, as personal injury lawyers try to cash in on what they may perceive as their new golden goose: lawsuits claiming talcum powder causes ovarian cancer.
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New Multi-Plaintiff Talc-Based Powder Exposure Complaint Filed in New Mexico State Court
Jun 6, 2016 | Harris Martin Publishing
A new talc-based powder exposure complaint has been filed in New Mexico by several plaintiffs, all of whom allegedly developed ovarian tumors as a result of using Baby Powder and Shower-to-Shower products.
In the May 12 complaint filed in the New Mexico First Judicial District, Santa Fe County, the plaintiffs said that as early as 1971, an electron microscopist found a correlation between talc use and ovarian cancer.
“The risk that talcum was a carcinogenic substance was known,” the complaint asserted, “or should have been known to the Johnson & Johnson Defendants for at least 40 ...
Subscription required, full story at: http://harrismartin.com/article/20904/new-multi-plaintiff-talc-based-powder-exposure-complaint-filed-in-new-mexico-state-court/
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Is junk science flooding St. Louis airwaves?
Jun 7, 2016 | St. Louis Post-Dispatch
By Travis Akin
Personal injury lawyers have always been big spenders on TV ads, aggressively trolling for clients, often using sensationalistic and sometimes misleading information to lure, or scare, people into lawsuits.
Personal injury lawyers spent about $75 million per month on television advertising in 2015, for a total of approximately $900 million for the year, up from $531 million in 2008.
And in St. Louis, we’ve seen the number of these ads spike in recent months, as personal injury lawyers try to cash in on what they may perceive as their new golden goose: lawsuits claiming talcum powder causes ovarian cancer.
In March alone, personal injury law firms ran a whopping 830 ads about talc and ovarian cancer on St. Louis television stations. That’s an incredible explosion in the number of ads, as only about 60 of them aired in the previous month.
Why the boom? It’s likely because of a St. Louis Circuit Court jury awarding $72 million to a woman who claimed baby powder caused her ovarian cancer.
While this size of a jury award might suggest there is clear evidence of a link between talc powder and ovarian cancer, in reality, multiple scientific and regulatory reviews reportedly have determined that talc is safe for use in cosmetic products. In fact, news stories report of 30 years of studies by medical experts around the world supporting the safety of cosmetic talc.
I have also read that some of the research asserting a link between talc and ovarian cancer was done by a scientist who is a paid consultant for the plaintiffs in the St. Louis case. It would appear that a link between talc and ovarian cancer is more of an open question rather than something proved.
But, to be generous, what the personal injury lawyers are telling people in all those ads that are flooding St. Louis airwaves is not based on a scientific consensus.PauseCurrent Time0:00/Duration Time0:00Loaded: 0%Progress: 0%0:00Fullscreen00:00Mute
Also, St. Louis reportedly is the primary market for advertising because personal injury lawyers need a St. Louis plaintiff to fix jurisdiction and venue in the city of St. Louis.
And St. Louis has become a juicy and highly profitable lawsuit market for personal injury lawyers in recent years. A report last December from the American Tort Reform Association ranking America’s worst “judicial hellholes” asked the question, “Is St. Louis the next Madison County?” St. Louisans better hope not, because Madison County has shed countless employers and jobs due to its perennial status as the “Lawsuit Abuse Capital of America.”
Now it looks as if some of those same wealthy personal injury lawyers who have cashed in by flooding Madison County courts with lawsuits are heading across the river, perhaps seeing the “Gateway to the West” as their “Gateway to Riches.”
That certainly would explain why we’re seeing such an explosion in the number of ads from these personal injury law firms on St. Louis televisions. But if ads are spouting junk science, the impact might not be just to the local job market — they also can be potentially harmful to our health.
Personal injury lawyer ads alleging dangers from health care treatments can mislead consumers and scare them away from treatments they need — with dangerous results. Personal injury lawyer ads along with so-called “medical information” sites operated by trial lawyers may look like medical resources but should not be relied upon as credible health information.
No one is suggesting you stop watching TV to avoid these troubling ads. But consumers should understand the facts and motives behind these ads — to generate lawsuits and enrich personal injury lawyers.
Because personal injury lawyer ads are virtually unregulated, they may make exaggerated or speculative claims in order to lure people into lawsuits. The vast majority of personal injury lawyers are not medical experts, and claims made in lawsuit ads may not apply to every viewer.
If consumers have questions about their health and products, they should ask their doctor, not a personal injury lawyer. Don’t let a lawyer be your doctor.
http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/is-junk-science-flooding-st-louis-airwaves/article_7d9f692b-6e8c-54a5-ace0-2448bfcdfda9.html
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