Science/Tech
Johnson & Johnson Win Trial, Lawsuit Rejected By St. Louis
On Friday, Johnson & Johnson announced that a state court jury in Missouri had returned a verdict in favor in its favor in the latest trial. The issue stemmed from thousands of lawsuits that alleged the company's talc-based products can increase the risk of ovarian cancer.
The jury voted 11-1 sided with Johnson & Johnson and its talc supplier Imerys Talc in a lawsuit by Tennessee resident Nora Daniels. She claimed to have used J&J baby Powder for 36 years and was diagnosed with ovarian and uterine cancer in 2013.
The verdict came after three previous jury verdicts in St. Louis that was against J&J awarding plaintiffs a combined amount of $197 million. There were more than 2,500 lawsuits pending in the state court in St. Louis and across the country.
"The jury's decision is consistent with the science, research, clinical evidence and decades of studies by medical experts around the world that continue to support the safety of cosmetic talc," J&J said in a statement.
According to Statesman, Jim Onder, Daniels' laywer said that he thinks that the difference for the jury's verdict on Friday was because from the three previous St. Louis cases, the jury saw that in this case the talcum powder didn't contribute to Daniels' specific type of cancer.
J&J have been accused by plaintiffs for years to warn talk was linked to an increased risk for ovarian cancer. J&J in response said they acted properly in developing and marketing the products.
In February 2016, St. Louis jury ordered J&J to pay the amount of $72 million to the family of a woman who had died from ovarian cancer after years of using the J&J talc powder for feminine hygiene. In May, another jury returned $55 million to a woman who said J&J's talc powder products caused her to develop ovarian cancer. The third verdict was on October for $67.5 million according to Reuters.
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