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Talc 7/21
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New MDL sought for cases over J&J talc powder and ovarian cancer
Jul 20, 2016 | Reuters
By Jessica Dye
A federal judicial panel has been asked to consolidate nearly a dozen lawsuits filed in U.S. federal courts alleging Johnson & Johnson failed to warn women that using its talc-based powders for feminine hygiene could increase their risk of ovarian cancer. -
Lawsuit Claims Talcum Power Responsible for Uterine Cancer
Jul 20, 2016 | Injury Lawyer News
By Sarah May
The tally of talcum powder lawsuits filed against Johnson & Johnson has again grown with yet another case having been filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California earlier this month. -
SisterCARE Alliance fights talc powder that causes ovarian cancer in black women
Jul 20, 2016 | Atlanta Daily World
No one within the halls of the Davis Bozeman Law Firm in suburban Atlanta were prepared for the heart-wrenching tragedy that would visit them until a mother of a deceased woman helped put new awareness on talc powder and the rise of ovarian cancer within the African American female community.
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US Coverage
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New MDL sought for cases over J&J talc powder and ovarian cancer
Jul 20, 2016 | Reuters
By Jessica Dye
A federal judicial panel has been asked to consolidate nearly a dozen lawsuits filed in U.S. federal courts alleging Johnson & Johnson failed to warn women that using its talc-based powders for feminine hygiene could increase their risk of ovarian cancer.
The July 15 motion from plaintiffs' firm Don Barrett asks the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation to create a new multidistrict litigation for talc-powder claims before U.S. District Judge David Herndon in the Southern District of Illinois.
To read the full story on Westlaw Practitioner Insights, click here: bit.ly/2abxbMB
http://www.reuters.com/article/products-talc-mdl-idUSL1N1A60A3
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Lawsuit Claims Talcum Power Responsible for Uterine Cancer
Jul 20, 2016 | Injury Lawyer News
By Sarah May
The tally of talcum powder lawsuits filed against Johnson & Johnson has again grown with yet another case having been filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California earlier this month. The plaintiff alleges that decades of using the company’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower products for genital hygiene purposes led to her uterine cancer diagnosis and losses related thereto.
According to the lawsuit, plaintiff Dolores Gould had used Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower personal care products for decades, well into her adult years. During the relevant time periods, these products did not bear any labeling that would suggest that they introduced any risk of cancer to those using them. In 2006, Gould received a diagnosis of uterine cancer and though she has been in remission since 2007, she was forced to undergo surgical removal of her ovaries, uterus and Fallopian tubes.
The complaint alleges that Johnson & Johnson products have long been marketed as a hallmark of freshness, superior hygiene and purity of ingredients. They have been touted as a simple, safe and economical way to eliminate excessive skin wetness, prevent chafing and eliminate unwanted odors, particularly when used in the perineal area. This was done, however, despite the fact that the company had vast and growing knowledge of the dangers of ovarian and uterine cancer that prolonged use in this manner truly posed to women.Decades of research highlighted dangers
Gould’s complaint contains detailed background on the numerous research studies dating back to the early 1970s which demonstrated a likely connection between talc, a mineral comprised of oxygen, silicon and magnesium, and new cases of ovarian cancer. The plaintiff alleges that more than 22 such studies have provided proof of elevated risk of cancer for women who reported genital use of talc-based products.
In the aftermath of these studies, advocacy groups and others called upon the personal care product industry in general and Johnson & Johnson in particular to remove talc-based products from the market or at the very least, place strong warning language on their packaging. These efforts have thus far met with significant resistance. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has also declined to mandate action on the part of manufacturers to alert women about the link between talc and ovarian cancer.Talc litigation wave continues
Allegations similar to Gould’s have been progressing through courts across the nation for several years, and 2016 has already seen two sizable verdicts in favor of plaintiffs. In February of this year, the relatives of a woman who died from ovarian cancer were awarded $72 million, and in May, another plaintiff prevailed against Johnson & Johnson, obtaining a $55 million jury award. To date, in excess of 1,200 talcum powder lawsuits are pending in which Johnson & Johnson is accused of disregarding or minimizing the cancer risk of prolonged genital use of such products. As the number of cases continues to increase, the prospect of multidistrict litigation designed to streamline pretrial rulings and evidentiary processes grows more and more likely.
http://injurylawyer-news.com/2016/07/lawsuit-claims-talcum-power-responsible-uterine-cancer/
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SisterCARE Alliance fights talc powder that causes ovarian cancer in black women
Jul 20, 2016 | Atlanta Daily World
No one within the halls of the Davis Bozeman Law Firm in suburban Atlanta were prepared for the heart-wrenching tragedy that would visit them until a mother of a deceased woman helped put new awareness on talc powder and the rise of ovarian cancer within the African American female community.
The mother explained that her daughter was a healthy, health conscious 33-year-old woman who was a vegetarian. But the daughter was now dead due to ovarian cancer that the medical practitioners said was caused by the repeated use of ovarian cancer.
When Anana Harris Parris learned of this and other cases, it was like she was punched in the gut. She was in a state of arrested breathing because, until she was handed a stack of papers by the Davis Bozeman Firm, Parris was unaware of the dangers of talc powder that she and millions of other black women used for feminine hygiene purposes.
After she recovered from her shock, Parris founded SisterCARE Alliance and SisterCare Coalition – which includes scientists, gynecologists, civic and civil rights activists – to put the connection of talc power and ovarian cancer on black women’s radar with all deliberate speed and purposes.
Paris and the law firm discovered that there was over 20 years of research that connected ovarian cancer and talc powder that was deliberately hidden from black women by respected multinational corporations
“I did see a couple of cases about talc powder,” Parris admitted. “But I really didn’t understand the gravity of the situation until a short stack of the papers supplied by the Davis Bozeman Law Firm. The short stack of papers outlined some things to me that made me gasp. It disgusted me. And I took it personally that me, as a woman of color who supported companies, that I know find out they were sneaking ingredients that can harm you. To say that I took I personally would be an understatement.”
Mawuli Mel Davis, the more vocal and visible of the two partners in the Davis Bozeman Firm, said “as we did our research, we discovered that juries in St. Louis had made the connection between talc powder and ovarian cancer. And not only that, but they discovered that the companies failed to warn, and that angered the jurors more than anything else, for the failure of Johnson & Johnson to warn the consumer which has been predominantly women of color.”
What infuriated the Parris even more was the fact that they found out that Johnson & Johnson and other corporations were losing customers after white women were made aware of the dangers – therefore they purposely started marketing the products to black women, knowing they were unaware of the dangers and risks.
That was about the time Parris discovered an idea for making black women aware of talc and its potentially dangerous properties.
“If every product in this country showed us the picture and made the warning clear of what could happen if you used this product. Then the healthcare decisions that you make are your own,” she explains. “But what we’re dealing with right now is that we’re not making self-care decision fully informed.”
“So what we’re doing is starting a campaign to shift the self-care behavior of an entire mass of people who are targeted by companies.”
Noreen ‘The Science Queen’ Raines, scientist and founder of Big Thinkers Science Exploration, said “we black female scientists have been wanting something like this for a long time. We read the labels, we understand the labels, but we know there are large groups of women of color do not. And we wished we had a way to launch an initiative to women of color to do this,” she said. “We should know what’s in (the products). We shouldn’t have to worry about our safety and our health when it comes to the things that we use. And this campaign is designed to let us know what we’re using and what the risks are.”
Parris created a powerful coalition of professional women in Atlanta make black woman more aware of talc powder and ovarian cancer. This includes:
Noreen ‘The Science Queen’ Raines, Scientist and Founder of Big Thinkers Science Exploration ; Monica Simpson, Executive Director of Sister Song ; Anne Collins Smith, Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, Charity Jordan, ArtisticDirector Media, Leah Jones, Sister Song; Valerie Randolph, The National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc. Metropolitan Atlanta Chapter, Vanessa Saez, R3b3l M3dia, Kareena Cumberbatch, R.N. & Doula; Veleda Cofield, Jack & Jill of Greater Atlanta; Malika Redmond, Women Engaged; Dr. Zenobia L. Day, Heartbeat Markets & Joe Beasley Foundation; Dr. Haiba Sonyika, Exclusive Women’s Healthcare Obstetrics and Gynecology, Natasha Allrich, Vision Manifest, Lovette Kargbo-Thompson, National Domestic Workers Association, Attorney Roodgine Bray, Deborah Woods, Nia Walker & Marlie Mahogany, Revolutionary Moms Club and many more.
According to Parris, the campaign has three parts:“First there is the behavioral change … ‘ReadTheLabelSis’“The second thing we’re asking you to do is ‘TossTheTalc’.”Third thing is: “Everyone within the sound of my voice, go home and into your bathroom and look at the labels of the products. And we want you to post that you are reading the labels, and if you find talc, then show that you ‘tossing the talc.’ That’s how you become self-care advocate for others,” Parris said.
Dr. Haiba Sonyika of Exclusive Women’s Healthcare Obstetrics and Gynecology, said “studies have shown that talc can be a causing factor in ovarian cancer. Talc can go in as far as the ovaries. And when it reaches there, it can cause inflammation. This is really a healthcare crises and something that women need to empower ourselves.”
“It is a shame that we in the African American community are just hearing about this,” Parris said. “So, please, all of us, spread the word.”
http://atlantadailyworld.com/2016/07/20/sistercare-alliance-fights-talc-powder-that-causes-ovarian-cancer-in-black-women/
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