Consumer Fraud Legal News Articles & Interviews

Washington, DC The long-running Johnson & Johnson (J&J) talcum powder lawsuits have now taken a strangely contemporary turn as long-silent witnesses, both in this world and the next, tell tales. The Department of Justice (DOJ) and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) have subpoenaed corporate documents, and Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) has requested information back to 1966. Could this end the corporate stonewalling that has stymied so many J&J talcum powder lawsuits for so long?

Washington, DC Dr. Joaquin Lopez ‘s surprise emergency room bill came after he and his insurer had already paid $11,000 toward the cost of emergency gallbladder surgery. For dentist Brad Buckingham, who fell off his bicycle, the shock was a $70,000 bill to repair a broken hip. For Stacey Shapiro, it was a $6,720 emergency room fee to treat sudden spell of low blood sugar.

Three Forks, MT: Facing about 14,000 asbestos-talc cases claiming that talc causes ovarian cancer and mesothelioma, Imerys Talc America has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Court records indicate that defending a single case can cost Imerys $4 million and some juries have awarded damages up to $2.75 million against the company. Imerys is the sole supplier of cosmetic talc to Johnson & Johnson.

Scottsdale, AZ: Emergency room care in the US is the highest-priced care a patient can receive. Even a minor condition can set you back thousands of dollars, which in itself can cause health issues—financial problems are stressful. It can get worse: one patient dinged with outrageous emergency room overcharges later discovered that another patient with similar treatment paid a lot less.

Santa Clara, CA: Despite a number of asbestos-talc lawsuits and studies to the contrary, Johnson & Johnson still stands by its talcum powder, asserting it doesn’t cause mesothelioma or ovarian cancer because their product sold to consumers never contained asbestos. J&J says plaintiffs are using attorney-driven science along with faulty studies. On the other hand, plaintiffs have brought scientific evidence showing studies linking talc exposure to cancer, adding that the giant pharma company knew the link for decades. As for the FDA, it’s still on the fence.

Jackson, MS In the waning days of December 2018, Cryesha McDonald and Chantal Lewis filed an excessive overdraft fees lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi. The lawsuit alleges that Trustmark National Bank assessed overdraft fees in violation of its contractual agreements with customers. Like similar lawsuits brought throughout the country, McDonald v. Trustmark National Bank claims that the bank charges fees on transactions that do not actually overdraft the account. Attorneys for the plaintiffs seek class action status for the lawsuit.

San Francisco, CA: August 10, 2018 was a bad day for Bayer and Monsanto executives. That was the day when San Francisco jurors determined that Monsanto’s (and now Bayer’s) RoundUp and Ranger Pro caused cancer in a former school groundskeeper who claimed his terminal cancer had been caused by the glyphosate-based weed-killers.

Los Angeles, CA: After reviewing documents and testimony from 1971 to the early 2000s, a new report by Reuters determined that Johnson & Johnson’s executives, mine managers, doctors and lawyers were aware the company's raw talc and finished powders sometimes tested positive for small amounts of asbestos. This report reflects many Johnson & Johnson lawsuits alleging these talcum powder products caused women to get ovarian cancer, mesothelioma and other cancers.

San Francisco CA: School groundskeeper DeWayne Johnson was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2014 at the age of 42. He is the first cancer victim to take Monsanto (now owned by drug giant Bayer) to court. In August, Johnson was awarded $289 million but damages were later to reduced to $78 million. And the first out of more than 620 Monsanto cancer cases pending in federal litigation is set for February 2019, according to Reuters.

San Francisco, CA On October 11, 2018, San Francisco Superior Court Judge Suzanne Bolanos tentatively ruled that she would toss out the jury’s $250 million punitive damage award and schedule a new trial on that issue. The judge also suggested she may also drastically reduce the $39 million compensatory damage portion of the Monsanto glyphosate lawsuit award. The final ruling is due on October 22. The results of this trial are expected to have significant impact on the hundreds of Roundup cancer lawsuits now pending.