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Cosmetic Talc Litigation Media Coverage November 21, 2016
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Hansville woman joins lawsuit on danger of baby powder
Nov 21, 2016 | Kitsap Sun
By Ed Friedrich
A Hansville woman is among four who filed a lawsuit Thursday against Johnson & Johnson, claiming the company knew its baby powder was linked to ovarian cancer but didn't warn them. -
Johnson & Johnson ovarian cancer claims called into question
Nov 20, 2016 | The Louisiana Record
By Trisha Marczak
A Louisiana woman has filed suit against Johnson & Johnson, claiming the company’s baby powder caused her ovarian cancer. -
Irish women to sue over alleged talcum powder link to cancer
Nov 21, 2016 | Irish Times
By Paul Cullen
At least 20 Irish women are planning to sue consumer multinational Johnson & Johnson over an alleged link between their ovarian cancer and use of the company’s talcum powder.
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Hansville woman joins lawsuit on danger of baby powder
Nov 21, 2016 | Kitsap Sun
By Ed Friedrich
SEATTLE — A Hansville woman is among four who filed a lawsuit Thursday against Johnson & Johnson, claiming the company knew its baby powder was linked to ovarian cancer but didn't warn them.
Annalisa Woltersdorf, 47, was joined by two other Washington women and the family of one from Oregon, who died from the illness in 2015, in filing suit Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court. They were diagnosed with ovarian cancer — Woltersdorf in April — after decades of baby powder use.
The Cancer Prevention Coalition mailed a letter to Johnson & Johnson in 1994, informing it that studies as far back as the 1960s "show conclusively that the frequent use of talcum powder in the genital area pose a serious health risk of ovarian cancer," according to the lawsuit. The company knew about the dangers but kept quiet, the lawsuit claims.
As a result, the four women "suffered catastrophic injuries and damages which required surgeries and treatments," the suit says.
St. Louis juries have awarded verdicts of $70.1 million, $72 million and $55 million in similar cases this year. Johnson & Johnson is appealing all three. A New Jersey judge recently threw out two cases, ruling there wasn't reliable evidence that talc causes ovarian cancer. The company faces about 2,000 similar cases.
James S. Rogers, of Seattle, attorney for the four women, said baby powder is associated with purity.
"The problem is thinking you're using something that's extremely safe," he said. "It's been advertised as soft, fresh and comfortable. It's a symbol of things that are pure and clean."
If the product is going to be on store shelves, it should have a warning, the suit says. Cornstarch powders can be used instead of talcum powder to absorb moisture.
The women are seeking damages for loss of earnings, medical expenses, emotional distress, punitive damages and attorney fees.
Overall, findings on whether women who apply talcum powder regularly in the genital area have an increased risk of ovarian cancer have been mixed, according to the American Cancer Society. Some report a slightly increased risk and some report no increase.
Johnson & Johnson, on its website, presents a message about talcum powder, claiming nothing is more important than ensuring its products are safe.
"Science, research, clinical evidence and decades of studies by medical experts around the world continue to support the safety of the cosmetic talc used in Johnson's Baby Powder," it says. A video describes care that goes into ensuring baby powder is safe.
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/local/local-woman-joins-lawsuit-on-danger-of-baby-powder-419881e1-8a12-0e1b-e053-0100007f0fae-402171225.html
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Johnson & Johnson ovarian cancer claims called into question
Nov 20, 2016 | The Louisiana Record
By Trisha Marczak
NEW ORLEANS — A Louisiana woman has filed suit against Johnson & Johnson, claiming the company’s baby powder caused her ovarian cancer.
Shintelle Joseph claimed she used the product for 10 years before being diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She joins 1,200 plaintiffs across the company who claim that the product was marketed without proper warning that labeling talc as a carcinogen. Johnson & Johnson has denied any link between its product and cancer.
While three jury trials have ruled in favor of plaintiffs in similar cases, watchdog organizations are raising concern over potential lawsuit abuse.
“Two similar lawsuits were just thrown out by a New Jersey judge who cited a lack of scientific evidence to support the plaintiffs’ claims, while similar cases in other states have resulted in significant jury verdicts,” Melissa Landry, executive director for Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch (LLAW), told the Louisiana Record.
Landry’s concern rests with opportunistic trial lawyers who could potentially take advantage of the scenario, she said. With frequent advertising targeted at women, LLAW is concerned about a flood of unsubstantiated claims entering the courts.
“Personal injury lawyers are using aggressive legal ads to try and scare women into filing these lawsuits. I’ve personally been exposed to a lot of these ads on TV and online, and it is easy to see how unsuspecting viewers come away with major concerns,” Landry said. “Some of the claims are terrifying, but it is important to remember these are unregulated, unsubstantiated and unbalanced legal ads designed by personal injury lawyers for the sole purpose of drumming up lawsuits.”
Joseph’s case focuses on Johnson & Johnson’s association with the TALC Interested Party Task Force, created after the U.S. Toxicology Program labeled talc, a key ingredient in the baby powder, a carcinogen. Her lawsuit goes on to allege that, as a founding member of the task force, Johnson and Johnson manipulated research through the hire of biased researchers, which, in turn, purportedly resulted in incorrect information being provided to consumers.
Landry claims her organization trusts the courts to look into such claims, but is concerned that the number of cases being filed could indicate an increasing number of weak cases.
“Ultimately, It is up to our courts to decide the validity of these claims,” Landry said. “But the fact that financially motivated trial lawyers and their often misleading TV ads are the driving force behind many of these suits suggests that this field of litigation is flooded with cases that may or may not have merit.”
Landy said LLAW will be watching this case to ensure justice on both sides of the issue.
“Without question, LLAW will be keeping a close eye on this case. Louisiana is a sought-after jurisdiction for mass tort litigation such as this due to the nagging perception that the scales of justice here are tilted in favor of personal injury lawyers and their clients," she said. "For years, our state has been described as a judicial hellhole because it seems some judges routinely apply laws and court procedures in an unfair and unbalanced manner.”
http://louisianarecord.com/stories/511040640-johnson-johnson-ovarian-cancer-claims-called-into-question
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Irish women to sue over alleged talcum powder link to cancer
Nov 21, 2016 | Irish Times
By Paul Cullen
At least 20 women to take action against Johnson & Johnson over ovarian cancers
At least 20 Irish women are planning to sue consumer multinational Johnson & Johnson over an alleged link between their ovarian cancer and use of the company’s talcum powder.
Solicitors representing the women plan to issue proceedings early in the New Year though a decision about going ahead with a full case will not be made until the results of litigation in the US are known.
Johnson & Johnson has lost three trials in the US over claims that its talc can cause ovarian cancer, with a jury in the most recently decided case awarding a Californian woman more than $70 million (€64.1 million).
The company is accused in about 1,700 lawsuits in state and federal court of ignoring studies linking its talc products to ovarian cancer and failing to warn customers about the risk.
The verdict in follows damages verdicts of $72 million (€66 million) and $55 million (€50.4 million) against the company in two earlier trials. The company is appealing the cases.
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/irish-women-to-sue-over-alleged-talcum-powder-link-to-cancer-1.2875923
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