A new lawsuit has been filed in the Johnson & Johnson multidistrict litigation currently pending which alleges that the talcum powder products manufactured by the company have led women who use the product for personal hygiene purposes to develop ovarian cancer.

The most recent lawsuit is filed by plaintiffs Donna and Joseph G. as a short form complaint. According to the lawsuit, Donna suffered injury to herself, economic loss. Joseph claims loss of services and loss of consortium due to Donna’s injuries. Donna and her husband have named Johnson & Johnson, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc., Imerys Talc America Inc. and Personal Care Products Council as the defendants in the case.

Donna was diagnosed with the talcum powder product injury in March 2009 after having used the products for nearly four decades. She continued using the product until 2016, which may be when she discovered a link between her talcum powder use and ovarian cancer. Donna states that she used both Johnson’s Baby Powder as well as its Shower to Shower product.

Donna and Joseph have brought forth multiple counts against the defendants including products liability for strict liability and failure to warn, defective manufacture and defective design, breach of express warranty, breach of implied warranty of merchantability, breach of implied warranty of fitness for a particular purpose, negligence, negligent misrepresentation, fraud, violation of state consumer protection laws of the state of New Jersey, fraudulent concealment, civil conspiracy, loss of consortium, punitive damages and discovery rule and tolling.

The plaintiffs are seeking judgment against the defendants and relief by way of compensatory damages, punitive damages, interest, costs of suit, and any additional relief deemed just and proper by the Court.

The Talcum Powder Use and Ovarian Cancer Lawsuit is Case No. 3:17-cv-07857 and is part of the Johnson’s Talcum Powder and Ovarian Cancer MDL In re: Johnson & Johnson Talcum Powder Products Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2738 in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.

Link Between Talcum Powder Use and Ovarian Cancer

The lawsuits in the multidistrict litigation against Johnson & Johnson similarly allege that the manufacturers were aware of the link between talcum powder use and ovarian cancer development, yet chose to hide this association from consumers.

The lawsuit states that since 1982, 27 additional research studies have found a link between talc and ovarian cancer. It is believed that when women use talc in their genital area for personal hygiene purposes, the particles of this naturally-occurring mineral can enter the woman’s body and travel to the ovaries, where they can cause inflammation and eventually cause cancer.

Additionally, the lawsuits state that talc is known to have carcinogenic properties and that various industries have already stopped their use of talcum powder in their products, such as in medical gloves and condoms. Yet, no warning statement has been included on talc-containing products to alert consumers that talcum powder use and ovarian cancer may go hand-in-hand for women who use the product for personal hygiene purposes.