More lawsuits expected over J&J talcum powder in 2018
Photo credit: Alf van Beem via Wikimedia Commons
Johnson & Johnson returned to the courtroom in January to face more litigation over allegations that its talcum products caused cancer.
The pharmaceutical company's lawyers entered a Middlesex County, N.J. courtroom for opening statements in a lawsuit "alleging that the company's talc products caused an Essex County man to develop cancer," reported NJ.com, which provides content to New Jersey's leading newspaper, The Star-Ledger.
"A Stephen Lanzo, III, 46, of Verona, alleges that his use of Johnson's Baby Powder throughout his life exposed him to asbestos, which lead him to develop mesothelioma, a deadly cancer that affects tissue in the lungs and abdomen. … The plaintiff and defense said they plan to utilize many expert testimonies throughout the trial, which is slated to run through the end of February," the site reported.
Bloomberg Bureau of National Affairs anticipated more litigation.
Distinguished Emeritus Professor Jean Eggen at Widener University Delaware Law School, Wilmington, Del., saw the potential for "large-scale litigation," he told Bloomberg BNA.
Eggen said that, "because of varying claims, sources of talc, and causation hurdles, this latest wave of talc cases against J&J will be both easier and harder to litigate than both traditional asbestos suits involving insulation materials, and the ovarian cancer cases the company is already fighting. And with several multimillion-dollar verdicts having been handed down against other makers of older talc products recently, the Johnson and Johnson asbestos-in-talc litigation is expected to be both protracted and contentious, drawing in many other plaintiffs. …"
Category: Asbestos, Cases, National
Tags: asbestos, asbestos-in-talc litigation, Bloomberg Bureau of National Affairs, Johnson & Johnson, Johnson & Johnson lawsuit, talc powder, talcum products
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