Talc Archives - Asbestos Case Tracker

August 14, 2024 Motion to Dismiss / Talc

Talc Manufacturer’s Motion to Dismiss for Failure to State a Claim Granted

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, Eastern Division

Decedent Carole Zicklin passed away from mesothelioma in September 2021. The decedent’s daughters subsequently filed a wrongful death lawsuit against a number of defendants, including PTI Union, LLC. The lawsuit alleged that the decedent was exposed to asbestos from talcum powder products that she “wore and used on a daily basis throughout her life in New York City” and during the course of her employment “at the locations mentioned above” from “large amounts of …

Posted by: Kerry L. Jones

Avon Files for Bankruptcy to Address Talc Lawsuits

Court: U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware

Avon Products Inc., a U.S.-based “non-operational” holding company, announced Monday that it is seeking Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to “address its debt and legacy talc liabilities.” In recent years, hundreds of talc lawsuits have been filed against Avon. Its court filings state the company no longer has “sufficient liquidity to litigate and/or settle” any other talc case and that Avon expects the number of lawsuits to “only increase absent a permanent solution.” Avon indicated it intends …

Business and lawyers discussing contract papers with brass scale on desk

August 1, 2024 Talc / Trial / Verdict

Posted by: Kerry L. Jones

Chicago Jury Returns $24.4M Plaintiff Verdict in Talc Trial

Court: Circuit Court of Cook County

A Cook County jury on July 29 returned a Plaintiff’s verdict after a weeks-long trial against personal care and cosmetic manufacturer Avon Products Inc.

Plaintiff Cipriano Ramirez worked as a janitor at an Avon facility in Morton Grove, Illinois in the 1980s. The facility produced various products, including talcum powder-based products. Mr. Ramirez alleged he was exposed to asbestos-contaminated talcum powder during his time working at the facility, which eventually led to his 2023 pleural mesothelioma diagnosis. The …

April 23, 2024 Florida / Talc / Trial / Verdict

Posted by: Nicole Caspers

Florida Jury Returns Defense Verdict in Ovarian Cancer Trial

Court: United States District Court, Middle District of Florida

On Thursday April 18, a Florida jury found the talcum powder in Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder product did not cause the ovarian cancer of deceased Sarasota County resident Patricia Matthey.

The plaintiffs alleged in their complaint that J&J suppressed scientific evidence linking talc products to increased cancer risk and that the corporation knew for decades that the talc used in its baby powder could be contaminated with asbestos. At trial, J&J argued that there was …

April 23, 2024 Illinois / Talc / Trial / Verdict

Posted by: Nicole Caspers

Chicago Jury Returns $45M Plaintiffs Verdict in Talc Trial

Court: Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois

On April 19, a Chicago jury ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $45 million to the family of a Cook County woman named Theresa Garcia who died from mesothelioma, allegedly caused by exposure to asbestos in various talc powder products.

Plaintiffs claimed that Theresa Garcia inhaled asbestos fibers contained in the talc, citing to lab tests, which demonstrated talc products could contain small amounts of asbestos, which they say could then cause mesothelioma.

In a statement issued following …

November 14, 2023 Bankruptcy / Talc

Posted by: Stephen Jenkins

Johnson & Johnson Considers a Third Talc Bankruptcy to Avoid Further Litigation

With more than two dozen jury trials scheduled over the next year involving contaminated talc claims related to its ubiquitous baby powder, discussions are already at Johnson & Johnson to puts its talc unit, LTL Management, back into bankruptcy for a third time.

J&J’s worldwide vice president of its talc litigation, Erik Haas, revealed during an October 17 earnings call the company is considering using another bankruptcy in hopes of pushing forward with an estimated $8.9 billion settlement of the thousands of claims alleging that …

October 4, 2023 Causation / Expert Opinion / New Jersey / Talc

Posted by: Kerry L. Jones

NJ Appellate Court Reverses $223.8 Million J&J Talc Verdict on Causation Grounds

Court: The Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division

Johnson & Johnson has successfully appealed a $223.8 million judgment against it following a trial involving allegations of asbestos-contaminated talcum powder in 2020.

Four plaintiffs filed suit against J&J alleging that certain talcum powder products manufactured by J&J and used by plaintiffs were contaminated with asbestos and caused plaintiffs to develop mesothelioma. In February 2019, the trial court consolidated the four cases, and the consolidated trial commenced in June 2019. Over the course of the trial, …