Johnson & Johnson Wants Supreme Court To Throw Out $2 Billion Talc Verdict

Johnson & Johnson is requesting that the Supreme Court throw out a $2 billion verdict against them.

The verdict is in favor of several women who claim that they developed ovarian cancer due to using the company’s talc products.

The case also includes several high-profile attorneys, including former independent counsel Kenneth Starr, representing the women.

Johnson & Johnson believes that they did not receive a fair trial in Missouri state court, which led to the initial $4.7 billion judgment in favor of 22 women diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

A state appeals court ruled to cut the money in half and eliminated two of the plaintiffs. Still, it upheld the outcome in a trial where attorneys for both sides presented expert statements about whether the company’s talc products contained ovarian cancer-causing asbestos.

Health concerns relating to talcum powders have resulted in thousands of women in the U.S. filing lawsuits, claiming that the powder caused them to have cancer. Talc is a mineral similar in composition to asbestos, which is known to cause the disease.

Last year, a U.S. government-led study of 250,000 women observed no concrete evidence tying baby powder to ovarian cancer, though the lead author said the results were “very ambiguous.” The findings were called “overall reassuring” when published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in January 2020.

Several months after the study was published, Johnson & Johnson announced they would no longer sell its famous Baby Powder in the U.S. and Canada, citing declining demand for it due to the cancer claims.

The Supreme Court will say as early as Tuesday whether or not they will get involved.