Trial testimony claims Johnson & Johnson hid the risks of talc products for 50 years

Johnson & Johnson lawsuit overview :

• Who: Former U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner David A. Kessler testified in a class action trial against Johnson & Johnson.
• Why: Kessler accused J&J of hiding the health risks of its talc products for more than 50 years.
• Where: The J&J talc class action trial is taking place in Los Angeles.

A former U.S. Food and Drug Administration commissioner accused Johnson & Johnson of concealing the health risks associated with its talc products for over 50 years during a class action trial in Los Angeles this week.

David A. Kessler, who served as FDA commissioner from 1990 to 1997, testified in a bellwether trial involving claims that J&J’s talc products caused two women to develop ovarian cancer.

Kessler spent four days on the stand as the first witness in the class action trial, which is the first in a series of Johnson & Johnson trials in the Los Angeles Superior Court involving hundreds of coordinated cases against the company, alleging that its talc products caused mesothelioma or ovarian cancer, Law360 reports.

J&J talc class action: Company pressured scientists to hide asbestos findings

Kessler reportedly defended his previous testimony in the Johnson & Johnson trial that decades-old internal documents prove the company knew its talc products were contaminated with asbestos. 

He reportedly testified that every time a scientist found asbestos in J&J’s talc products, the company pressured the scientist to explain away the results.

In the testimony, Kessler alleges that he was unaware of the documents showing asbestos contamination in talc products during his time at the FDA. He said Johnson & Johnson never provided the documents to the agency.

Plaintiffs Monica Kent and Deborah Schultz allege in a class action lawsuit that they developed ovarian cancer after using J&J’s talc products on their genitals for decades.

A Los Angeles jury hit Johnson & Johnson with a $966 million verdict in October after finding the company liable for an 88-year-old woman’s death from mesothelioma.

Johnson & Johnson recently announced it would return to the courtroom to resolve talc cases after its efforts to use bankruptcy to settle the cases failed.

Did you use talcum powder on a daily basis for at least 4 years and were later diagnosed with ovarian cancer? If so, you may be eligible to join a talcum powder class action lawsuit. 

The plaintiffs are represented by Margaret M. Thompson and Anthony Dow Birchfield Jr. of Beasley Allen Law Firm and Daniel S. Robinson of Robinson Calcagnie Inc.

The defendants are represented by Allison Brown, Kuan Huang and Julia E. Romano of Kirkland & Ellis LLP.

The J&J talc class action cases are Monica Kent v. Johnson & Johnson et al., Case No. 17CV318672, and Deborah Schultz et al. v. Johnson & Johnson et al., Case No. 20CV0476, both in the Superior Court of the State of California, County of Los Angeles.

Read About More Class Action Lawsuits & Class Action Settlements:

• New bill would force credit-repair firms to prove results before getting paid
• Judge refuses to dismiss Adidas pixel-tracking privacy lawsuit
• Fruity Pebbles maker faces lawsuit over false serving size and nutrition info
• Goli sued for misleading melatonin gummy count on ‘Dreamy Sleep’ label