Johnson & Johnson settlement overview:
- Who: Johnson & Johnson agreed to pay $5.5 billion to settle approximately 70,000 lawsuits alleging its talcum powder products caused ovarian cancer.
- Why: The settlement would resolve long-running claims that the company’s talc products caused ovarian cancer, allegations J&J continues to deny.
- Where: The agreement covers cases in the federal multidistrict litigation in New Jersey and related state court proceedings.
- How to get help: If you used talcum powder daily for at least four years and were later diagnosed with ovarian cancer, you may be eligible to join a talcum powder class action lawsuit.
Johnson & Johnson announced it has agreed to pay $5.5 billion to settle tens of thousands of lawsuits alleging its talcum powder products caused ovarian cancer.
The proposed global settlement would resolve claims brought by about 70,000 plaintiffs in the federal multidistrict litigation in New Jersey and related state court proceedings. According to the company, the agreement will become effective only if at least 95% of the remaining plaintiffs agree to participate.
The Johnson & Johnson settlement marks one of the largest resolutions in the long-running talc litigation, which has spanned more than a decade and included thousands of lawsuits, multiple jury trials and three unsuccessful bankruptcy attempts by J&J to resolve the claims.
In announcing the agreement, the company reiterated its position that its talc products are safe, do not contain asbestos and do not cause cancer.
The settlement comes just days after the judge overseeing the federal multidistrict litigation ordered plaintiffs to show they could present expert testimony establishing specific causation or risk dismissal of their remaining claims.
That order followed plaintiffs’ withdrawal of two expert witnesses in the MDL’s bellwether cases after hearings challenging the admissibility of their opinions.
J&J said the court’s ruling reinforced its longstanding position that the ovarian cancer claims lacked reliable scientific support.
The company said it remained confident it would prevail in continued litigation but chose to settle to bring the long-running dispute to a close and focus on its business.
Johnson & Johnson settlement follows years of talc litigation
Plaintiffs’ leadership described the agreement as long-overdue compensation for women and families who have spent years pursuing their claims, as reported by Law360.
Lead negotiation counsel Christopher Seeger said decades of litigation and multiple failed bankruptcy efforts left many plaintiffs waiting too long for relief, noting that some women did not live to see a resolution.
Members of the plaintiffs’ negotiation committee said the Johnson & Johnson settlement, reached through a court-appointed mediator, represents a fair resolution for the women bringing ovarian cancer claims, according to the Law360 report.
The $5.5 billion settlement follows a series of mixed courtroom results for Johnson & Johnson this year.
In June, a California jury found in favor of J&J in a bellwether trial involving the deaths of three women from ovarian cancer. That verdict came after another Los Angeles jury previously awarded $40 million in the first ovarian cancer bellwether trial.
Also in June, a Minnesota judge upheld a $65.5 million verdict in favor of a woman who alleged J&J’s talc products exposed her to asbestos and contributed to her cancer.
What do you think about Johnson & Johnson’s $5.5 billion settlement? Let us know in the comments.
The J&J multidistrict litigation is In re: Johnson & Johnson Talcum Powder Products Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation, Case No. 3:16-md-02738 and MDL No. 2738, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.
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