Personal Injury Legal News Articles & Interviews

Three Forks, IN: 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.

Washington, DC Johnson & Johnson (“J&J”) has agreed to pay $120 million to the attorneys general of 46 states and Washington, D.C. to settle claims that the company made unfair and deceptive statements in the promotion of its ASR XL and Pinnacle Ultamet hip implant systems. A separate agreement is expected to resolve most of the thousands of consumer-driven defective hip implant lawsuits against J&J and its DePuy unit.

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.

Atlanta, GA: “My husband and father-in-law were both diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma and they both sprayed the backyard with Monsanto’s Roundup,” says Veronica. (Because studies have continually linked the herbicide to that type of cancer, it also referred to as 'Monsanto cancer'.)

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.

Los Angeles, CA Within two weeks of each other, two juries in California failed to reach a verdict on the same issues regarding asbestos-talc claims, resulting in two mistrials. Nine votes are needed for a verdict on claims that J&J was guilty of negligence, failure to warn about the risk of asbestos and marketing defective products. On Sept 24, the sixth J&J mesothelioma trial, the Los Angeles jury was deadlocked 8-4 against J&J – one juror short of victory for plaintiff Kirk Von Salzen. Bloomerg reported that Von Salzen, a retired computer salesman, had used J&J’s talcum powder for 30 years when he was diagnosed in 2017. He was seeking over $12m in damages. Despite the result, his attorney was “satisfied” that eight jurors ruled against J&J.

Los Angeles, CA: In the sixth talcum powder-cancer trial that began last month in California, Johnson & Johnson is accused of knowing its talcum powder contained asbestos, a carcinogen known to cause mesothelioma. Plaintiff Carolyn Weirick last year was diagnosed with the rare form of terminal cancer. She claims her illness was caused by using J&J’s baby powder.

Washington, DC: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has enacted a new rule to purportedly strengthen oversight on asbestos: it will review applications for using asbestos in consumer products. But the agency’s critics and consumer groups argue that this rule makes it easier for asbestos to be used in consumer products, from construction materials to plastic bags.