Preview Newsletter
Cosmetic Talc Litigation Media Coverage 12/20/2016
-
Widower blames Johnson & Johnson talcum powder for wife's cancer death
Dec 19, 2016 | Southeast Texas Record
A Polk County man is suing Johnson & Johnson, alleging negligence led to the death of his wife from cancer. -
St. Louis Courts Ranked Top ‘Judicial Hellhole’ Due to Baby Powder Lawsuits
Dec 19, 2016 | KMOX-CBS
St. Louis is the No. 1 “Judicial Hellhole” in the latest annual ranking from a tort reform group. This year, it’s all about baby powder. -
St. Louis is the Nation's No. 1 Judicial Hellhole
Dec 19, 2016 | River Front Times
By Elizabeth Semko
... "The local trial court hosted three gigantic verdicts this year, totaling $197 million, in cases asserting that talcum powder causes ovarian cancer, plus other multimillion-dollar awards." -
J&J's largest India plant to be operational by 2018
Dec 19, 2016 | Business Standard
By Veena Mani
...J&J's India bet comes at a time when it has faced consumer ire in the US. In May this year, J&J was ordered by a US jury to pay $55 million (Rs 363 crore) to a woman who said that using the company's talcum powder for feminine hygiene caused ovarian cancer.
Client Attorney Privileged/Attorney Work Product/At Request of Counsel
US Coverage
APAC Coverage
-
Widower blames Johnson & Johnson talcum powder for wife's cancer death
Dec 19, 2016 | Southeast Texas Record
LUFKIN — A Polk County man is suing Johnson & Johnson, alleging negligence led to the death of his wife from cancer.
Marcus Witherspoon, individually and as the personal representative of the estate of Mary Ann Witherspoon, deceased, filed a lawsuit Nov. 22 in the Lufkin Division of the Eastern District of Texas against Johnson & Johnson and Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, Inc., alleging they failed to provide adequate warnings about the risks of developing ovarian cancer from using their talcum powders.
According to the complaint, in June 2014, Mary Ann Witherspoon was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, which ultimately caused her death Nov. 23, 2014. The suit says her cancer and death were proximately caused by her regular and prolonged exposure to defendants' talcum powder.
The plaintiff alleges the defendants negligently advertised and marketed that the talcum powder products were safe for use by women and failed to inform customers and users of the products' known catastrophic health hazard.
Marcus Witherspoon seeks trial by jury, compensatory damages of more than $75,000, economic and punitive damages, pre- and post-judgment interest, attorney fees, court costs and all other just and proper relief. He is represented by attorneys Warren T. Burns, Daniel H. Charest and Spencer Cox of Burns Charest LLP in Dallas and Korey A. Nelson, and by Amanda K. Klevorn of Burns Charest in New Orleans.
Lufkin Division of the Eastern District of Texas Case number 9:16-cv-00195
http://setexasrecord.com/stories/511060194-widower-blames-johnson-johnson-talcum-powder-for-wife-s-cancer-death
-
St. Louis Courts Ranked Top ‘Judicial Hellhole’ Due to Baby Powder Lawsuits
Dec 19, 2016 | KMOX-CBS
ST. LOUIS (KMOX) – St. Louis is the No. 1 “Judicial Hellhole” in the latest annual ranking from a tort reform group. This year, it’s all about baby powder.
St. Louis Circuit Court hosted three baby powder lawsuits this year from women claiming they got ovarian cancer from Johnson and Johnson’s talcum Powder. Darrin McKinney with the American Tort Reform Association blames the judges here.
“You have junk science, driving groundless lawsuits, by out-of-state plaintiffs and monstrous, monstrous verdicts,” McKinney says.
The baby powder jury verdicts here totaled almost $200 million, in 2016.
Also making the list, were St. Clair and Madison counties in Illinois ranked No. 6, accused of having judges who are too sympathetic to asbestos lawyers who give them campaign money.
http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2016/12/19/st-louis-courts-ranked-top-judicial-hellhole-due-to-baby-powder-lawsuits/
-
St. Louis is the Nation's No. 1 Judicial Hellhole
Dec 19, 2016 | River Front Times
By Elizabeth Semko
St. Louis, you've done it again.
After taking spots as the second most sinful city in the U.S. and the city where women have the most sex, St. Louis finished off last week by landing the top judicial hellhole in the country.
The Judicial Hellholes program, conducted by the American Tort Reform Foundation (ATRF) since 2002, documents "problems in jurisdictions where judges in civil cases systematically apply laws and court procedures in an
unfair and unbalanced manner, generally to the disadvantage of defendants." This annual report lists nine courts or areas of the U.S. that have become judicial hellholes — and the city of St. Louis snagged the No. 1 spot in the 2016 - 2017 report. Yay?
"The City of St. Louis is a magnet for product liability lawsuits and consumer class actions," the Judicial Hellholes list reads. "The local trial court hosted three gigantic verdicts this year, totaling $197 million, in cases asserting that talcum powder causes ovarian cancer, plus other multimillion-dollar awards."
It's noted that the awards, as well as most people filing similar lawsuits, are actually not from Missouri — they travel from out-of-state to take advantage of Missouri's weak venue law and low standards for what is considered "expert testimony." The report also says that plaintiffs' law firms have flawed the jury pool with tons of TV ads — you know, those awful personal injury law firm commercials you're forced to watch when all you want is the weather report.
After giving nods to the other top eight Judicial Hellholes, plus those on the "Watchlist" and "Dishonorable Mentions," the report delves into four more pages of detail on these points that have led our court system to hell — even to the point of beating out California, which has traditionally won the top Judicial Hellhole spot in recent years. The ATRF even came up with a nickname for us: the Show Me Your Lawsuits State.
Now, it's fair to say the people behind this report have an agenda, and they're not shy about promoting it. This group sees promise in actions the Missouri government took this year, as well as incoming governor Eric Greitens and what they call the "reform-minded majorities" in the legislature. Per its report,
"If the new governor and legislators act boldly on civil justice reforms, like their counterparts in West Virginia have, there’s hope that the Show Me Your Lawsuits State may revert back to the healthy skepticism of the Show Me State—at least when it comes to meritless lawsuits and the out-of-state plaintiffs who are now burdening Missouri taxpayers, consumers and employers with a very bad Judicial Hellholes reputation."
So if we're lucky, we'll be just like West Virginia? Where do we sign up?
You can read the full Judicial Hellholes 2016 - 2017 report here.http://www.riverfronttimes.com/newsblog/2016/12/19/st-louis-is-the-nations-no-1-judicial-hellhole
-
J&J's largest India plant to be operational by 2018
Dec 19, 2016 | Business Standard
By Veena Mani
Consumer healthcare and pharmaceutical major Johnson & Johnson (J&J)'s largest India plant entailing an investment of $85 million (Rs 550 crore) will be operational by 2018, a top official told Business Standard.
J&J was to get the plant coming up in Kothur near Hyderabad in Telangana operational this year, but procedural delays have prevented the company from completing the project on time, the official said. According to the official, the firm is working to get all approvals in place and is confident of getting the plant going in 2018.
The plant, which will produce 18,000 tonnes of baby care, personal hygiene and skincare products, will be J&J's third unit in India, after Mumbai and Baddi.
According to the official, the Telangana region was selected because J&J wanted to service the southern market, which contributes 30% of its revenue.
J&J has earmarked an additional $100 million (Rs 650 crore) for future expansion of the plant. The move, said the official, was in line with J&J's objective of converting India into a regional hub for neighbouring markets.
The pressure to get the Telangana plant going also comes as J&J has faced the regulator's ire in Maharashtra in recent months over issues pertaining to contamination of its products at its Mumbai facility.
J&J has maintained all along that its production quality controls are strict and that it has been working with the Food & Drug Administration in the state to iron out differences. The Mumbai facility is also J&J's oldest unit in the country, set up in 1959, making it necessary to invest in a third facility.
J&J's India bet comes at a time when it has faced consumer ire in the US. In May this year, J&J was ordered by a US jury to pay $55 million (Rs 363 crore) to a woman who said that using the company's talcum powder for feminine hygiene caused ovarian cancer. This was the second straight trial loss for J&J in the US this year.http://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/j-j-s-largest-india-plant-to-be-operational-by-2018-116122000032_1.html
Client Attorney Privileged/Attorney Work Product/At Request of Counsel
US Coverage
APAC Coverage
Add recipients
Suggested