Due to the growing number of baby powder lawsuits filed in New Jersey state court, some defendants have requested that these cases be centralized before a single judge in order to better coordinate pretrial proceedings. These talc powder lawsuits are generally filed on behalf of women who allegedly developed ovarian cancer after using talc-based baby powder products for personal hygiene purposes.

Talc product manufacturers Johnson & Johnson, Imerys Talc America Inc., and Personal Care Products Council have jointly filed an application to the New Jersey Supreme Court, requesting the court to establish a multicounty litigation (MCL) for all baby powder cancer lawsuits filed through the state of New Jersey.

According to the numerous baby powder cancer lawsuits, women are claiming Johnson’s Baby Powder and/or Shower-to-Shower body powder products, which contain talc, caused women to contact ovarian cancer when they applied it to their genital area. The plaintiffs of these baby powder cancer lawsuits allege that the manufacturers of these talcum powder products were aware of the link between talc and ovarian cancer, but failed to warn consumers about the cancer risk.

The baby powder cancer MCL application was filed to New Jersey court on May 20. According to recent reports, there are over 100 baby powder lawsuits filed in the state court system that represent over 156 plaintiffs, most of which were filed in Atlantic County.

The petition to establish a baby powder products MCL argues that the number of baby powder lawsuits and the similarity in claims meet New Jersey state criteria for MCLs. Additionally, the defending companies claim that consolidation of these baby powder ovarian cancer lawsuits would be convenient for all parties involved, witnesses, and the court; consolidation would also help avoid contradicting court rulings and duplicative discovery.

If the MCL request is granted, then these baby powder cases will be transferred before one state judge for pretrial proceedings, most likely Judge Nelson C. Johnson of Atlantic County Superior Court as requested by the defendants. However, if a baby powder cancer settlement or another resolution is not reached through the MCL, then each ovarian cancer lawsuit will have to go before an individual jury in order to determine if each plaintiff’s ovarian cancer claims are valid.

History of Baby Powder Ovarian Cancer

Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder was first manufactured and sold in 1893, and has since been marketed as an effective method of masking genital odors in addition to its popular use as a skin softener.

Despite its popularity, researchers have become concerned with possible talcum powder side effects and began to study the effects of baby powder products on consumers as early as the 1960s. Even these early research studies suggested a possible link between talcum powder use and an increased risk of ovarian cancerin women.

More recent research has shown that talc particles can migrate from the site of application on the genitals and into a woman’s reproductive system, where these particles embed themselves in the ovaries.

Many consumers have filed baby powder cancer lawsuits on behalf of themselves or their deceased loved one who found out too late that their use of baby powder products for female hygiene purposes may have caused their ovarian cancer. Baby powder cancer lawsuits allow ovarian cancer victims to receive compensation for medical bills, pain and suffering, legal costs, and other expenditures related to their talcum powder-related disease.