Opening statements have been made by the plaintiffs and the defendants as a multi-plaintiff baby powder cancer lawsuit begins in Missouri.

As a multi-plaintiff baby powder cancer lawsuit begins, a Missouri jury recently heard opening statements from the defendants and the plaintiffs. The baby powder cancer lawsuit involved 22 different women who are bringing their complaints simultaneously under one suit.

Unlike a class action lawsuit, where one plaintiff represents a Class of similarly situated individuals, the plaintiffs in the baby powder cancer lawsuit are presenting their cases individually. The jury will hear testimony from all 22 plaintiffs or, in the case of a death, their surviving family members.

The case is high profile in the legal community due to the risky decision to represent 22 individual plaintiffs within one baby powder cancer lawsuit. Opening statements have been given, and the trial is expected to run through the middle of July.

Johnson & Johnson has faced numerous lawsuits accusing them of selling baby powder products which allegedly cause ovarian cancer. These lawsuits have resulted in verdicts of $55 million to $417 million. This multi-plaintiff baby powder cancer lawsuit stands to result in a larger verdict due to the number of claims involved.

The attorney for the plaintiffs compared Johnson & Johnson talc products to a “sacred cow”, arguing that the profitability and sales of these products are more important to them than the safety of women. Unlike other talc powder lawsuits, which argue that talc is a carcinogen, this baby powder cancer lawsuit claims that there is asbestos mixed in with the talc powder.

Johnson & Johnson has defended their baby powder products, claiming that they rigorously test their talc to confirm that it does not contain asbestos. The company cites a renounced microscopist who allegedly determined that Johnson & Johnson talc powders do not contain asbestos. The microscopist reportedly performed tests on the Shroud of Turin, believed by some to be Jesus Christs’ burial cloth.

According to securities filings, Johnson & Johnson faces over 9,000 talc lawsuits across the nation. Should the multi-plaintiff baby powder cancer lawsuit result in a favorable verdict, these smaller lawsuits may have legal precedent to further plead their cases. In addition to ovarian cancer lawsuits, Johnson & Johnson also contends with plaintiffs claiming that they developed mesothelioma after inhaling the company’s talc powder products.

Johnson & Johnson has faced criticism that they over promote their baby powder products to women for genital use. Baby powder cancer lawsuit arguments often accuse the company of concealing information from consumers and not listening to scientific evidence which allegedly suggests that talc can cause ovarian cancer.

The current theory is that, when used by females on the genital area, talc particles in baby powder products can migrate up the female reproductive system. When these particles reach the ovaries, they allegedly cause inflammation and cellular damage which can lead to mutations and the development of ovarian cancer.

The Baby Powder Cancer Lawsuit is Case No. 1522-CC10417-01 in the Circuit Court of the City of St. Louis, Missouri.