In the wake of Johnson & Johnson’s bankruptcy settlement attempt failing for a second time, people who have been affected by the company’s talc products are taking action.
According to an article published on Fortune, approximately 11,000 new cancer lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson have been filed within the last few weeks. A little more than one month ago, a judge dismissed the company’s second attempt to file for bankruptcy.
Johnson & Johnson attempted what’s called a “Texas Two-Step”, which is filing for a specific type of bankruptcy that allows the company to continue operating while it restructures assets. This tactic has been used by many asbestos companies to offload all asbestos legal liabilities onto a subsidiary company (which would be the bankruptcy filing) and avoid being an active defendant in any legal claims.
Johnson & Johnson attempted to do this to avoid lawsuits involving Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder, which is no longer manufactured or sold in the United States due to litigation. However, a judge denied the attempt, and more victims have come forward with cancer compensation claims.
Background of Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder and Cancer Lawsuits
Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder has been linked to asbestos contamination and the deadly diseases caused by exposure to asbestos. The product was made of talc, which is a naturally occurring mineral just like asbestos.
Talc and asbestos can mix together, and when talc is ground into a powder to make health and hygiene products, sharp asbestos fibers can hide within the powder. Any use of the products can release these fibers into the air when applying the powder to their skin or their child’s skin. These fibers can be inhaled by the parent or child and irritate tissue cells, leading to cancer or a deadly lung scarring disease called asbestosis.
Mesothelioma and Johnson & Johnson
One of the cancers caused by asbestos exposure is a rare malignancy called mesothelioma. This type of cancer typically develops in the lining of the lungs or abdominal cavity. The two main types of mesothelioma are called pleural mesothelioma (lining of the lungs) and peritoneal mesothelioma (lining of the abdominal cavity). Two rarer types of mesothelioma are pericardial mesothelioma (lining of the heart) and testicular mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma has especially poor survival rates – the median survival is approximately 12-14 months – and most patients do not live for more than a couple of years unless they have aggressive surgery. Most cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed in late stages, so surgery is often not an option.
This cancer can also impact a patient’s quality of life from side effects, such as difficulty breathing, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting and more.
For these reasons, patients who develop mesothelioma are entitled to compensation. The companies that manufactured and sold asbestos for profit during the 20th century are responsible for mesothelioma victims and their families’ struggles.
Johnson & Johnson is one of those companies due to the link between its talc Baby Powder product and asbestos contamination, which has led to a mesothelioma diagnosis for some past consumers of the powder. Johnson & Johnson has faced tens of thousands of cancer lawsuits regarding the product, and many of them are mesothelioma claims.
If you’d like to speak with our team about your legal options regarding your mesothelioma cancer, please email patient advocate Karen Ritter, RN, at karen@mesotheliomaguide.com.
Sources & Author
- Johnson & Johnson hit by 11,000 more lawsuits linking Baby Powder to cancer after judge throws $9 billion settlement case. Fortune. Retrieved from: https://fortune.com/2023/09/28/johnson-johnson-more-lawsuits-baby-powder-cancer-judge-throws-settlement-case/. Accessed: 10/02/2023.
Sources & Author
