Johnson & Johnson has been ordered by a Los Angeles Super Court jury to pay $417 million to Eva Echeverria, a 63-year old woman claiming to have developed ovarian cancer after using the brand’s talc-based products like Johnson’s Baby Powder for feminine hygiene for decades.
The verdict included $70 million in compensatory damages and $347 million in punitive damages. It was a major setback for J&J, which faces 4,800 similar claims nationally and has been hit with over $300 million in verdicts by juries in Missouri.
Johnson & Johnson has been forced to pay $417 million over talcum powder risk. Credit: Johnson & Johnson
The verdict is the largest so far in lawsuits alleging J&J failed to adequately warn consumers of cancer risks associated with the use of its talc-based products. Before Monday, the largest verdict had been for $110 million.
“We are grateful for the jury’s verdict on this matter and that Eva Echeverria was able to have her day in court,” Mark Robinson, her lawyer, said in a statement.
The 63-year-old woman claimed she developed terminal ovarian cancer after using products like Johnson’s Baby Power for feminine hygiene for decades. Her lawyers argued Johnson &Johnson encouraged women to use its products despite being fully aware of risks linking ovarian cancer to genital talc use.
Johnson & Johnson has been ordered by a Los Angeles Court to pay $417m to a single plaintiff after claiming she developed ovarian cancer after decades using Johnson’s Baby Powder. – Monday 21 August, 2017. Credit: AP/Matt Rourke/File Photo
“We will appeal today’s verdict because we are guided by the science, which supports the safety of Johnson’s Baby Powder,” said a Johnson & Johnson statement.
Echeverria’s lawsuit was the first out of hundreds of California talc cases to go to trial.
The trial follows five prior similar cases in Missouri state court, where many lawsuits are still pending. The company lost four of those cases and has been hit with $307 million in verdicts together with a talc supplier.
Scientific studies over the years have produced a mix of results. The International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organization, classifies the genital use of talc-based body powder as “possibly carcinogenic to humans.” The US National Toxicology Program has not fully reviewed talc as a possible carcinogen, according to the American Cancer Society, which says it isn’t clear whether the products increase a person’s cancer risk.
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