Multi-Billion Dollar Talcum Powder Verdict Against Johnson & Johnson Survives Supreme Court Appeal

Multi-Billion Dollar Talcum Powder Verdict Against Johnson & Johnson Survives Supreme Court Appeal

On June 1, 2021, the Plaintiffs in the Johnson & Johnson (“J&J”) talcum powder litigation celebrated another major victory!  The Supreme Court declined J&J’s petition for appeal of the multi-billion-dollar verdict awarded against them by a Missouri jury.

As was previously reported, in October 2019, J&J was forced to recall over 33,000 bottles of its talc-based baby powder (Johnson’s Baby Powder) after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found levels of asbestos contamination in test samples.  Asbestos is a known carcinogen and is chemically related to talc, the mineral used to make talcum powder.

The Plaintiffs’ first victory came in 2018 when a Missouri jury ruled in favor of 22 women from 12 different states who developed ovarian cancer after using J&J’s products containing talcum powder. The Court ordered J&J to pay $4.69 billion dollars in compensatory and punitive damages to all 22 women who developed ovarian cancer following their use of J&J’s talc products.  J&J appealed the verdict to the Missouri Court of Appeals (an intermediate state appellate court). Despite the Court finding “significant reprehensibility” in J&J’s conduct in knowingly promoting products that caused cancer, the Missouri Court of Appeals reduced the award amount to $2.12 billion.  J&J further attempted to appeal the decision to the Missouri Supreme Court which declined to hear the appeal. This ultimately prompted J&J’s attempt at an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, which was also declined.

In light of the Plaintiffs’ recent victory in the Supreme Court’s refusal to hear J&J’s appeal, it is believed that this will now put a tremendous amount of pressure on J&J to settle thousands of additional cases across the country.

The experienced talcum powder attorneys at The Yost Legal Group want to help you get the compensation you deserve.  If you or a loved one were diagnosed with ovarian cancer after regularly using Johnson & Johnson’s talcum powder products (Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower), please call us to discuss your potential case. The attorneys at The Yost Legal Group can be reached anytime by calling 1-800-YOST-LAW (1-800-967-8529) or by emailing info@yostlaw.com. Contact us now for a free case consultation!