A Connecticut woman recently filed a lawsuit against pharmaceutical giant Johnson and Johnson, alleging her regular use of Johnson and Johnson talcum powder led to her diagnosis with ovarian cancer.

The plaintiff, Leslie M., says she used Johnson and Johnson talcum powder as part of her regular feminine hygiene routine, near her genitalia, for nearly her entire life—from 1957 to 2013.

Unfortunately, in 2007, Leslie was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at the age of 49. According to Leslie’s lawsuit, Johnson and Johnson was aware of the risk of ovarian cancer associated with the use of its baby powder products, yet failed to inform the public of these risks, instead maintaining that they were perfectly safe to use—even advertising their use as part of a regular feminine hygiene routine. Indeed, Leslie’s lawsuit alleges that Johnson and Johnson actively seek to suppress information and misrepresent the actual safety of these products.

Had Leslie known of these risks, she claims, she would not have used Johnson and Johnson talcum powder in this manner.

Leslie filed her Johnson and Johnson talcum powder lawsuit on Nov. 18, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The lawsuit was filed on multiple counts, including negligence or wantonness, defective manufacture and design, failure to warn, negligent misrepresentation, and fraud, among several others.

By filing this lawsuit, Leslie hopes to gain compensation for what she has suffers, including medical expenses, pain and suffering, mental anguish, lost wages, and severe impairment to her reproductive system, among others.

Johnson and Johnson Talcum Powder Risk

Some baby powder products, including Johnson and Johnson products, either are or used to be talcum-based. Unfortunately, the use of talcum powders in the genital area has been linked with an increased risk of ovarian cancer.

This can be devastating—ovarian cancer is the fifth highest cause of cancer deaths in women. The risk is made all the worse because ovarian cancer is difficult to detect in its early stages, and may not be caught until it has developed into something more dangerous in its later stages.

Filing a Johnson and Johnson Talcum Powder Lawsuit

A slew of Johnson and Johnson talcum powder lawsuits have been filed with similar claims to Leslie’s. Lawsuits claim that the use of talc-based baby powders in the genital area is capable of causing ovarian cancer, and that Johnson and Johnson has failed to make this risk known. So far, Johnson and Johnson has been ordered to pay millions of dollars to injured plaintiffs in this litigation.

If you or a loved one have suffered from side effects— like ovarian cancer—after regularly using Johnson and Johnson talcum powder as a feminine hygiene product, you may be able to file a lawsuit and pursue compensation. Of course, litigation cannot take away the pain and suffering caused by the side effects of cancer caused by Johnson and Johnson talcum powder, nor can it bring a loved one back to life, but it can at least help to alleviate the financial burden incurred by medical expenses, lost wages, and more.

The Johnson and Johnson Talcum Powder Lawsuit is Case No. 1:18-cv-02661-RC, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.