Johnson & Johnson has been either settling or taking legal claims against it to court for a few years now. Yet, the healthcare giant still faces tens of thousands of claims.
Not all cases for Johnson & Johnson cancer are the same, though. Yes, most if not all involve the use of Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder. However, you should know that Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder causes many types of cancer.
The three types of cancer linked to Johnson & Johnson are ovarian cancer, lung cancer and mesothelioma. There are different lawsuit you can file based on the type of cancer you or your loved one has:
- Talc ovarian cancer lawsuit
- Talc lung cancer lawsuit
- Talcum powder mesothelioma lawsuit
Even lawsuits for the same cancer aren’t identical. Some will lead to $100 million verdicts while others have smaller verdicts. Some don’t even end in verdicts. Now that Johnson & Johnson is creating a subsidiary to file for bankruptcy, they’ll avoid lawsuits in most cases in favor of a different type of legal claim.
The three main types of compensation from Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder lawsuits are:
- Verdicts
- Settlements
- Asbestos trust funds
If you were part of the group who used Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder on yourself or your child, you should know the details about each of these compensation payment types. Here is a rundown of the three main types of compensation available from Johnson & Johnson cancer lawsuits.
After reading this, you should learn how to file a Johnson & Johnson cancer lawsuit.
Verdicts
Most of the headline-grabbing cases for Johnson & Johnson cancer ended in verdicts. This is the asbestos compensation with the highest ceiling in terms of how much you can be paid from the company for their role in your cancer.
Remember, Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder is made with talcum powder, an ingredient that comes from the mineral talc. This mineral and another mineral, asbestos, can mix together. Talc isn’t dangerous on its own, but asbestos causes cancer. Any contamination poses a risk to users of Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder, and since asbestos is so tiny and can go undetected in talcum powder, there’s little to no way of knowing if it’s in a product.
Johnson & Johnson should be held accountable for your cancer diagnosis if you used their talcum powder brands. Many victims have done just that, resulting in massive verdicts. One was $750 million (later reduced to around $220 million and then thrown out by an appeals court) and another was $26.4 million. Those are just a few examples.
The one negative to verdicts is the length of time it takes for payment to reach victims. Aside from the long, drawn-out legal process, there’s also appeals. Johnson & Johnson appeals verdicts against the company all the time, which delays victims receiving the compensation they deserve.
Settlements
Settlements don’t make the headline for two reasons:
- They aren’t published as public information and therefore aren’t released to news outlets.
- They are usually smaller lawsuit compensation payouts to victims.
Settlements are still a likely outcome for your Johnson & Johnson cancer lawsuit. In fact, it’s more likely than a verdict. Most companies under fire from asbestos exposure want to avoid large verdicts and would rather make the legal problems go away. They accomplish this by settling out of court with the victims and their families.
Even recently, Johnson & Johnson settled more than 1,000 claims related to asbestos in talcum powder. The first step to getting a mesothelioma lawsuit settlement, lung cancer lawsuit settlement or ovarian cancer lawsuit settlement is filing a claim. This puts the pressure and limelight on Johnson & Johnson.
Asbestos Trust Funds
Asbestos trust funds are separate from lawsuits since they involve claims against bankrupt companies. Johnson & Johnson is trying to move their legal claims into asbestos trust fund territory.
The way companies do this is by creating a subsidiary company and directing all legal claims to the company. Then, the subsidiary goes bankrupt. This plan is called the “Texas Two-Step” and it has been used by many asbestos manufacturers and cosmetic companies to reduce their liabilities.
Victims cannot file asbestos lawsuits against bankrupt companies as they’re not “active defendants.” The U.S. court system ordered these companies to create asbestos trust funds as a way of compensating future victims who file cancer claims related to asbestos exposure.
Johnson & Johnson has more than 30,000 unresolved legal claims – as of July 2022 – and many of them may go to asbestos trust fund compensation. The payouts for these claims are much lower than lawsuit settlements.
The main benefit of asbestos trust funds is a quick payment to victims. The payout for settlements and verdicts usually takes longer, sometimes even a few years.
Frequently Asked Questions About Compensation for Johnson & Johnson Cancer
- How much are settlements for talcum powder?
- How long does it take to settle a talcum powder case?
Settlements for talcum powder range from hundreds of thousands of dollars to a few million dollars. Settlements are not public knowledge, so there isn’t much data about settlement amounts for talcum powder. Verdicts are public knowledge and give a baseline of information about what people can expect from their claims. One verdict was for $750 million, and this is on the high end.
Settling a talcum powder case can take anywhere from a few months to multiple years. A lot depends on the defendant companies and whether they are still active companies. If they are, then the talcum powder case usually lasts a while. If the companies are bankrupt, then the cases usually are resolved quickly. The best decision to make is finding a lawyer to handle your talcum powder claim, as they’ll speed up the process and relieve you of stress.
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