A Minnesota jury awarded $65.5 million on Friday to a mother of three who claimed talcum products made by Johnson & Johnson exposed her to asbestos and contributed to her developing cancer in the lining of her lungs.
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\nJurors determined that plaintiff Anna Jean Houghton Carley, 37, should be compensated by Johnson & Johnson after using its baby powder throughout her childhood and later developing mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer caused primarily by exposure to the carcinogen asbestos.<\/p>\n
During a 13-day trial in Ramsey County District Court, Carley’s legal team argued the pharmaceutical giant sold and marketed talc-based products to consumers despite knowing it can be contaminated with asbestos. Carley’s lawyers also said her family was never warned about potential dangers while using the product on their child. The product was taken off shelves in the U.S. in 2020.<\/p>\n
Johnson & Johnson said it would appeal the verdict. \u201cThis case was not about compensation only. It was about truth and accountability," Carley’s attorney Ben Braly said. Erik Haas, worldwide vice president of litigation for Johnson & Johnson, argued the company’s baby powder is safe, does not contain asbestos and does not cause cancer. He expects an appellate court to reverse the decision.<\/p>\n
The verdict is the latest development in a longstanding legal battle over claims that talc in Johnson\u2019s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower body powder was connected to ovarian cancer and mesothelioma, which strikes the lungs and other organs. Johnson & Johnson stopped selling powder made with talc worldwide in 2023. \u201cThese lawsuits are predicated on \u2018junk science,\u2019 refuted by decades of studies that demonstrate Johnson & Johnson\u2019s Baby Powder is safe, does not contain asbestos and does not cause cancer,\u201d Haas said in a statement after the verdict.<\/p>\n
Earlier this month, a Los Angeles jury awarded $40 million to two women who claimed Johnson & Johnson’s talcum powder caused their ovarian cancer. And in October, another California jury ordered the company to pay $966 million to the family of a woman who died of mesothelioma, claiming she developed the cancer because the baby powder she used was contaminated with asbestos.<\/p>\n
The case highlights the ongoing controversy surrounding the safety of talcum powder and the potential risks associated with its use. As the legal battles continue, consumers are left to wonder about the safety of the products they use every day. The verdict serves as a reminder of the importance of holding companies accountable for the products they produce and the need for transparency in the manufacturing process.<\/p>\n
A: A Minnesota jury awarded $65.5 million to a mother of three who claimed talcum products made by Johnson & Johnson exposed her to asbestos and contributed to her developing cancer.<\/p>\n
A: The plaintiff, Anna Jean Houghton Carley, developed mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer caused primarily by exposure to the carcinogen asbestos.<\/p>\n
A: Yes, Johnson & Johnson stopped selling powder made with talc worldwide in 2023.<\/p>\n
A: Johnson & Johnson claims its baby powder is safe, does not contain asbestos, and does not cause cancer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Johnson & Johnson Told to Pay $65.5 Million in Talcum Cancer Case Introduction to the Case A Minnesota jury awarded $65.5 million on Friday to a mother of three who claimed talcum products made by Johnson & Johnson exposed her to asbestos and contributed to her developing cancer in the lining of her lungs. Jurors […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":34179,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-34178","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/media.nbcchicago.com\/2020\/11\/GettyImages-1164571016-e1605128536108.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&resize=1200%2C675&w=1200&resize=1200,675&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34178"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34178"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34178\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34180,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34178\/revisions\/34180"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34179"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34178"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34178"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34178"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}