Preview Newsletter
EOD Verdict Media Report 10/28/16
-
Talc verdict winner: Money can’t make up for lost health
Oct 28, 2016 | Associated Press
By Jim Salter
A California woman awarded more than $70 million in her talcum powder lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson says she is pleased by the ruling, but it doesn’t make up for the damage to her health. A St. Louis jury on Thursday sided with 63-year-old Deborah Giannecchini of Modesto, California. She said at a news conference Friday that she used Johnson’s Baby Power for 45 years before being diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2012. -
Does baby powder cause cancer? Another jury says yes.
Oct 28, 2016 | Associated Press
By Linda A. Johnson
For the third time, Johnson & Johnson has been hit with a multimillion-dollar jury verdict over whether the talc in its iconic baby powder causes ovarian cancer when applied regularly for feminine hygiene. Late Thursday, a St. Louis jury awarded $70.1 million to Deborah Giannecchini of Modesto, California, who was diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer in 2012. Giannecchini, then 59, said she had used Johnson's Baby Powder for more than 40 years to keep her genital area dry, as many women do. She blamed it for her cancer and accused J&J of negligence. -
Johnson & Johnson Pays $70 Million to California Woman For Cancer-Linked Baby Powder
Oct 28, 2016 | Fortune
By Lucinda Shen
Johnson & Johnson has lost its third lawsuit alleging that the pharmaceutical company’s baby powder causes ovarian cancer. Jurors in St. Louis awarded Deborah Giannecchini $70 million late Thursday, according to Bloomberg. For 40 years, Giannecchini, 62, had used the talcum powder for feminine hygiene, but stopped when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer three years ago. Now her lawyers say Giannecchini has an 80% chance of dying in the next two years, despite having undergone extensive treatment. -
Johnson & Johnson to Appeal $70 Million Payment in Talcum Powder Suit
Oct 28, 2016 | The Street
By Alica McElhaney
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) said Friday it would appeal a $70 million decision made by a Missouri court over claims that its talcum powder causes ovarian cancer, but the pharmaceutical giant likely won't be hurting as a result. The company was ordered to pay Deborah Giannecchini, 62, who used Johnson & Johnson talcum powder for feminine healthcare for years and then was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, approximately $70 million in damages. -
Alabama law firm: $70 million verdict in third talcum powder case
Oct 28, 2016 | AL.com
By Kent Faulk
A Missouri jury Thursday night awarded a California woman a $70 million verdict after finding that Johnson & Johnson was liable for the injuries she suffered as a result of using the company's talcum powder products, according to the Alabama law firm who represents her. A Johnson & Johnson spokesperson said it will appeal the verdict. -
Jury awards $70 million to California woman who claimed Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder caused ovarian cancer
Oct 28, 2016 | New York Daily News
By Meg Wagner
A California woman who claimed using Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder for four decades gave her ovarian cancer was awarded more than $70 million in damages. Deborah Giannecchini of Modesto, California, is the third woman to win a payout from the company after claiming its talc-containing powder is cancer-causing. About 2,000 women have filed similar suits against the pharmaceutical giant. -
Johnson & Johnson Lawsuit: California Woman Gets $70M – Does Baby Powder Cause Cancer?
Oct 28, 2016 | Morning Ledger
By Kareen Liez Datoy
A woman suffering from cancer was recently awarded more than $70 million by a St. Louis judge in her Johnson & Johnson lawsuit which allegedly caused her ovarian cancer. The giant company failed to win a three-hour deliberation for a third straight trial. But this is not the only lawsuit that the company received. There are about 1700 lawsuits in federal and state courts for Johnson & Johnson. Most cases are saying that they failed to warn the consumers about the effect of its baby powder and Shower-to-Shower talc products. -
Talcum giant in £58 million payout battle
Oct 28, 2016 | Express
By John Chapmen
Deborah Giannecchini was diagnosed in 2012 and blamed Johnson’s baby powder for her condition. She sued makers Johnson & Johnson and was awarded the huge sum yesterday by a court in St Louis in the US state of Missouri. Her lawyer Jim Onder said: “We are pleased the jury did the right thing. -
Power Lunch
Oct 28, 2016 | CNBC
View clip here: http://beta.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/24741344?token=6d134546-6326-4d8e-8002-25b506143e89 (0:13) -
On the Story with Erica Hill
Oct 28, 2016 | HLN
View clip here: http://beta.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/24741369?token=6d134546-6326-4d8e-8002-25b506143e89 (0:42)
Traditional US Coverage
Traditional OUS Coverage
US Broadcast
Full Text of Stories Below
-
Talc verdict winner: Money can’t make up for lost health
Oct 28, 2016 | Associated Press
By Jim Salter
A California woman awarded more than $70 million in her talcum powder lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson says she is pleased by the ruling, but it doesn’t make up for the damage to her health.
A St. Louis jury on Thursday sided with 63-year-old Deborah Giannecchini of Modesto, California. She said at a news conference Friday that she used Johnson’s Baby Power for 45 years before being diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2012.
Johnson & Johnson said in a statement that it sympathizes with women and their families impacted by ovarian cancer, but science has shown no link with talcum powder. The company plans to appeal.
It was the third big verdict awarded in St. Louis this year against the company. The three awards combined amount to nearly $200 million.
-
Does baby powder cause cancer? Another jury says yes.
Oct 28, 2016 | Associated Press
By Linda A. Johnson
For the third time, Johnson & Johnson has been hit with a multimillion-dollar jury verdict over whether the talc in its iconic baby powder causes ovarian cancer when applied regularly for feminine hygiene.
Late Thursday, a St. Louis jury awarded $70.1 million to Deborah Giannecchini of Modesto, California, who was diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer in 2012. Giannecchini, then 59, said she had used Johnson's Baby Powder for more than 40 years to keep her genital area dry, as many women do. She blamed it for her cancer and accused J&J of negligence.
Two other jury trials in St. Louis reached similar outcomes earlier this year, awarding the plaintiffs $72 million and $55 million.
But in J&J's home state of New Jersey a judge recently threw out two other cases, ruling there wasn't reliable evidence talc causes ovarian cancer, a relatively rare disease.
Johnson & Johnson says its product is safe, and it is appealing all three losses. And investors don't seem worried that J&J is in financial trouble, even though the company faces an estimated 2,000 similar lawsuits. In midday trading Friday, J&J shares dipped 65 cents to $115.27.
The next trial is set to start in January, also in St. Louis.
Here's what experts say about talc and cancer.
WHAT IS TALC?
Talc is a mineral that is mined from deposits around the world, including the U.S. The softest of minerals, it's crushed into a white powder. It's been widely used in cosmetics and other personal care products to absorb moisture since at least 1894, when Johnson & Johnson's Baby Powder was launched. But it's mainly used in a variety of other products, including paint and plastics.
DOES IT CAUSE OVARIAN CANCER?
Like many questions in science, there's no definitive answer. Finding the cause of cancer is difficult. It would be unethical to do the best kind of study, asking a group of women to use talcum powder on their genitals and wait to see if it causes cancer, while comparing them to a group who didn't use it.
While ovarian cancer is often fatal, it's relatively rare. It accounts for only about 22,000 of the 1.7 million new cases of cancer expected to be diagnosed in the United States this year.
Factors that are known to increase a women's risk of ovarian cancer include age, obesity, use of estrogen therapy after menopause, not having any children, certain genetic mutations and personal or family history of breast or ovarian cancer.
WHAT RESEARCH SHOWS
The biggest studies have found no link between talcum powder applied to the genitals and ovarian cancer. But about two dozen smaller studies over three decades have mostly found a modest connection — a 20 percent to 40 percent increased risk among talc users.
However, that doesn't mean talc causes cancer. Several factors make that unlikely, and there's no proof talc, which doesn't interact with chemicals or cells, can travel up the reproductive tract, enter the ovaries and then trigger cancer.
One large study published in June that followed 51,000 sisters of breast cancer patients found genital talc users had a reduced risk of ovarian cancer, 27 percent lower than in nonusers. An analysis of two huge, long-running U.S. studies, the Women's Health Initiative and the Nurses' Health Study, showed no increased risk of ovarian cancer in talc users.
WHAT EXPERTS SAY
If there were a true link, Dr. Hal C. Lawrence III says large studies that tracked women's health for years would have verified results of the smaller ones.
"Lord knows, with the amount of powder that's been applied to babies' bottoms, we would've seen something," if talc caused cancer, said Lawrence, vice president of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
The National Cancer Institute's Dr. Nicolas Wentzensen says the federal agency's position is that there's not a clear connection.
"It is very hard to establish causal relationships," he said, adding, "A lot of ovarian cancers occur in women who have never used talc, and many women have used talc and not gotten ovarian cancer."
Research director Elizabeth Ward of the American Cancer Society says it is unusual to have so much discrepancy between studies. "The risk for any individual woman, if there is one, is probably very small," Ward said.
-
Johnson & Johnson Pays $70 Million to California Woman For Cancer-Linked Baby Powder
Oct 28, 2016 | Fortune
By Lucinda Shen
Johnson & Johnson has lost its third lawsuit alleging that the pharmaceutical company’s baby powder causes ovarian cancer.
Jurors in St. Louis awarded Deborah Giannecchini $70 million late Thursday, according to Bloomberg. For 40 years, Giannecchini, 62, had used the talcum powder for feminine hygiene, but stopped when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer three years ago. Now her lawyers say Giannecchini has an 80% chance of dying in the next two years, despite having undergone extensive treatment.
Carol Goodrich, a spokesperson for Johnson & Johnson, says the company will appeal to the decision.
“We deeply sympathize with the women and families impacted by ovarian cancer,” she said. “We will appeal today’s verdict because we are guided by the science, which supports the safety of Johnson’s Baby Powder.”
Additionally, research into the link between talc and cancer have been been mixed or inconclusive, according to the American Cancer Society.
That likely factored into a New Jersey judge’s decision to throw out two lawsuits against Johnson in Johnson in September, which alleged that the company’s talcum powder had caused their ovarian cancer.
Johnson & Johnson is also appealing two other similar lawsuits in which it was ordered to pay $72 million and $55 million. Johnson & Johnson has been roped in to some 1,700 lawsuits in state and federal courts alleging that the company ignored research suggesting that its talc-based products increased the chance of ovarian cancer, and failed to inform consumers.
Giannecchini’s claims that Johnson & Johnson was shown “30 years of studies” that the talc-based powders increased the risk of ovarian cancer.
Johnson & Johnson has been ordered to pay $65 million to Giannecchini in punitive damages and nearly $2.5 million for her medical bills, pain, and suffering. Co-defendent, Imerys Talc America, which supplied the talc, has been orderded to pay $2.5 million in punitive damages.
-
Johnson & Johnson to Appeal $70 Million Payment in Talcum Powder Suit
Oct 28, 2016 | The Street
By Alica McElhaney
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) said Friday it would appeal a $70 million decision made by a Missouri court over claims that its talcum powder causes ovarian cancer, but the pharmaceutical giant likely won't be hurting as a result.
The company was ordered to pay Deborah Giannecchini, 62, who used Johnson & Johnson talcum powder for feminine healthcare for years and then was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, approximately $70 million in damages.
This is on the heels of a $72 million payout announced in May and a $55 million payout announced in February over the same issue. St. Louis-based personal injury attorneys at Onder Law has been the primary law firm engaged in the case.
"We will appeal today's verdict because we are guided by the science, which supports the safety of Johnson's Baby Powder," said J&J spokeswoman Carol Goodrich, in a statement. In fact, two cases pending in New Jersey were dismissed in September 2016 by a state court judge who ruled that plaintiffs' scientific experts could not adequately support their theories that talcum powder causes ovarian cancer, a decision that highlights the lack of credible scientific evidence behind plaintiffs' allegations."
Analysts say that these cases likely won't a huge material impact on Johnson and Johnson.
"JNJ has enormous cash flow," said Damien Conover, analyst at Morningstar, by phone. "They can work through these problems. They saw some big challenges with orthopedics recalls, and they went through that pretty well despite having to pay."
It was found in 2013 that the company's hip replacements could cause metal poisoning. According to Conover, despite having to pay "hundreds of millions," Johnson and Johnson bounced back.
Johnson's share price remained relatively stable Friday despite the announcement. It was trading at $114.85 per share, down 0.7% from market's open. The company has a market cap of $314.16 billion.
-
Alabama law firm: $70 million verdict in third talcum powder case
Oct 28, 2016 | AL.com
By Kent Faulk
A Missouri jury Thursday night awarded a California woman a $70 million verdict after finding that Johnson & Johnson was liable for the injuries she suffered as a result of using the company's talcum powder products, according to the Alabama law firm who represents her.
A Johnson & Johnson spokesperson said it will appeal the verdict.
This is the third large verdict against Johnson & Johnson regarding its talc-containing products, which include Johnson's Baby Powder and Shower to Shower body powder for feminine hygiene. The first award earlier this year - $72 million - was on behalf of Jacqueline Fox, a Tarrant woman who died of ovarian cancer that she said was linked to use of the company's talcum powder products. Another woman, Gloria Ristesund, was awarded $55 million in a separate verdict several months ago.
In this week's verdict the City of St. Louis Circuit Court jury awarded Deborah Giannecchini $70.075 million after agreeing the products contributed to the development of her ovarian cancer. The verdict includes $575,000 in medical damages, $2 million in compensatory damages, and $65 million in punitive damages against Johnson & Johnson and $2.5 million in punitive damages against Imerys.
It was the first time a jury had held Imerys, a Johnson & Johnson talc supplier, liable for damages.
According to a press release from the Montgomery-based Beasley Allen law firm, which represented all three women in the trials, Giannecchini was 59 when she was diagnosed with Stage IV ovarian cancer four years ago. "Since then, she has gone through multiple surgeries and chemotherapy regimens. Ms. Giannecchini used Johnson & Johnson's Baby Powder for feminine hygiene for more than 40 years," according to the statement.
"Yet another jury has heard the evidence outlining a link between Johnson & Johnson's talcum powder products and ovarian cancer, and has decided that there is a clear connection," said Beasley Allen lawyer Ted Meadows, who had been helping to lead the litigation. "When is enough going to be enough? Despite repeated verdicts that hold the company accountable, Johnson & Johnson has refused to remove its talcum powder products from shelves, has refused to warn consumers about the risk, and continues to deny its responsibility. It's time for this company to come clean and put consumer health ahead of profits."
Johnson and Johnson revealed at the trial that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration took interest in the litigation immediately following the $72 million Fox verdict awarded earlier this year, the press release states.
Johnson & Johnson announced it will begin the appeals process after Thursday's verdict.
Carol Goodrich, spokesperson for Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. issued this statement:
"We deeply sympathize with the women and families impacted by ovarian cancer. We will appeal today's verdict because we are guided by the science, which supports the safety of Johnson's Baby Powder. In fact, two cases pending in New Jersey were dismissed in September 2016 by a state court judge who ruled that plaintiffs' scientific experts could not adequately support their theories that talcum powder causes ovarian cancer, a decision that highlights the lack of credible scientific evidence behind plaintiffs' allegations."
While there have been numerous studies suggesting a link between talcum products and ovarian cancer, none have made a definitive finding. Research and reaction to it by government agencies have been mixed.
The American Cancer Society has a statement from November 2014 about talcum powder and the possible link to ovarian cancer on its website.
The plaintiffs were represented by Jere L. Beasley, Ted G. Meadows, David P. Dearing, Danielle Ward Mason, Ryan Beattie and Lauren Razick from Beasley Allen, along with the law firms of Onder, Shelton, O'Leary and Peterson, LLC, Allen Smith, and Porter Malouf.
-
Oct 28, 2016 | New York Daily News
By Meg Wagner
A California woman who claimed using Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder for four decades gave her ovarian cancer was awarded more than $70 million in damages.
Deborah Giannecchini of Modesto, California, is the third woman to win a payout from the company after claiming its talc-containing powder is cancer-causing. About 2,000 women have filed similar suits against the pharmaceutical giant.
A St. Louis jury awarded Giannecchini, 63, the sum Thursday after a month-long trial.
“I do feel justice has been served, but I think more important is we begin to share the information and let women know that this is not the safe, innocent product that we think it is,” she told CBS San Francisco.
Her case — as well as those of the other two women — was handled by the St. Louis-based Onder Law Firm, which has advertised the suspected link between baby powder use and cancer.
"We are pleased the jury did the right thing. They once again reaffirmed the need for Johnson & Johnson to warn the public of the ovarian cancer risk associated with its product," Giannecchini’s attorney Jim Onder said.
Giannecchini was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer in 2012, when she was 59 years old. She said she began using Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder for feminine hygiene more than 40 years ago. Duirng treatment, her doctors found talc in her ovaries.
The suit accused Johnson & Johnson of "negligent conduct" in making and marketing its baby powder. The legal team insisted that the company knew about studies linking talc powder to an increased risk of cancer, but said they refused to curb their production and marketing.
Onder said case studies have indicated that women who regularly use talc on their genital area face up to a 40 percent higher risk of developing ovarian cancer. The research goes back to the 1970s, he said.
But the link is still unclear. Much research has found no link or a weak one between ovarian cancer and using baby powder for feminine hygiene, and most major health groups have declared talc harmless.
Johnson & Johnson, whose baby powder dominates the market, maintains it's perfectly safe. It plans to appeal the Thursday verdict.
"We deeply sympathize with the women and families impacted by ovarian cancer," Carol Goodrich, a spokeswoman with Johnson & Johnson, said in a statement. "We will appeal today's verdict because we are guided by the science, which supports the safety of Johnson's Baby Powder."
In February, another St. Louis jury awarded $72 million award to relatives of an Alabama woman who died of ovarian cancer. In May, yet another gave $55 million to a South Dakota survivor of the disease.
Two other suits in New Jersey, where Johnson & Johnson is based, were thrown out by a judge who said there wasn't reliable evidence that talc leads to ovarian cancer, an often fatal but relatively rare form of cancer.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies genital use of talc as "possibly carcinogenic." The National Toxicology Program, made up of parts of several different government agencies, has not fully reviewed talc.
Talc is a mineral that is mined from deposits around the world, including the U.S. The softest of minerals, it's crushed into a white powder. It's been widely used in cosmetics and other personal care products to absorb moisture since at least 1894, when Johnson & Johnson's Baby Powder was launched.
Ovarian cancer accounts for about 22,000 of the 1.7 million new cases of cancer expected to be diagnosed in the U.S. this year.
-
Johnson & Johnson Lawsuit: California Woman Gets $70M – Does Baby Powder Cause Cancer?
Oct 28, 2016 | Morning Ledger
By Kareen Liez Datoy
A woman suffering from cancer was recently awarded more than $70 million by a St. Louis judge in her Johnson & Johnson lawsuit which allegedly caused her ovarian cancer. The giant company failed to win a three-hour deliberation for a third straight trial.
But this is not the only lawsuit that the company received. There are about 1700 lawsuits in federal and state courts for Johnson & Johnson. Most cases are saying that they failed to warn the consumers about the effect of its baby powder and Shower-to-Shower talc products.
The Johnson & Johnson Lawsuit
Deborah Giannecchini, a 62-year-old woman had been using the baby powder for four decades. Three years ago, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Because of that, she has 80 percent chance of dying in the next two years even after undergoing surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, International Business Times reported.
With that, the court ordered the company to pay her $65 million in punitive damages, as well as 90 percent of about $2.5 million for her medical costs and suffering. Supplier Imerys Talc America also faces $2.5 million in punitive damages.
Does Baby Powder Cause Cancer?
Despite the claim, Johnson & Johnson still stand firm that their talc is safe. Spokeswoman Carol Goodrich denies that their product can cause ovarian cancer as stated in the Johnson & Johnson lawsuit.
“We are guided by the science, which supports the safety of Johnson’s Baby Powder,” Goodrich said, according to Bloomberg.
“Science, research, clinical evidence and decades of studies by medical experts around the world continue to support the safety of cosmetic talc,” she added.
On the side of Giannecchini, her lawyer Allen Smith said the company is aware that, when used for more than 30 years, the talc will cause ovarian cancer. They also said that the company knew about this and voluntarily hid it from the public.
-
Talcum giant in £58 million payout battle
Oct 28, 2016 | Express
By John Chapmen
Deborah Giannecchini was diagnosed in 2012 and blamed Johnson’s baby powder for her condition.
She sued makers Johnson & Johnson and was awarded the huge sum yesterday by a court in St Louis in the US state of Missouri.
Her lawyer Jim Onder said: “We are pleased the jury did the right thing.
“They once again reaffirmed the need for Johnson & Johnson to warn the public of the ovarian cancer risk associated with its product.”
Johnson & Johnson, who she accused of “negligent conduct” in making and marketing the product, insist their talc is safe and intend to appeal.
Carol Goodrich, spokesman for the US company, said: “We deeply sympathise with the women and families impacted by ovarian cancer.
“We will appeal today’s verdict because we are guided by the science, which supports the safety of Johnson’s baby powder.”
The case involving Ms Giannecchini, from Modesto, California, is the latest which has raised concerns about the health implications of an extended use of talcum powder.
She claimed that using talc in an intimate area over the course of many years led to her developing ovarian cancer Factors known to increase the risk include age, obesity, oestrogen therapy after the menopause, not having children and family history.
Talc is a soft mineral mined from deposits around the world and is crushed into a white powder.
It has been widely used in cosmetics to absorb moisture since at least 1894, when Johnson & Johnson launched its baby powder.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies genital use of talc as “possibly carcinogenic”.
Earlier this year, two other lawsuits in St. Louis ended in jury verdicts worth a combined $127million (£104million).
But two others in New Jersey were thrown out by a judge who said there was not any reliable evidence that talcum powder leads to ovarian cancer.
-
Oct 28, 2016 | CNBC
View clip here: http://beta.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/24741344?token=6d134546-6326-4d8e-8002-25b506143e89
(0:13)
Rough transcript: here's what else is happening at this hour. a california woman has been awarded more than $70 million in a lawsuit alleging that Johnson & Johnson baby powder caused her cancer.
-
Oct 28, 2016 | HLN
View clip here: http://beta.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/24741369?token=6d134546-6326-4d8e-8002-25b506143e89
(0:42)
Rough transcript: a jury in st. louis has ruled baby powder might be the cause of a woman's ovarian cancer. the woman was awarded $70 million in the case. she accused johnson and johnson of negligent conduct in making and marketing its baby powder. Now for the first time at trial the jury akso held johnson and johnson's talc supplier liable for damages. Earlier this year you may recall two other lawsuits in st louis ended in jury verdicts worth a combined $127 million. about 2,000 other women have filed similar suits across the country. johnson and johnson and most major health groups maintain there is no proven link between baby powder and ovarian cancer.
Traditional US Coverage
Traditional OUS Coverage
US Broadcast
Full Text of Stories Below
Add recipients
Suggested