St. Louis, Missouri—On Friday, the fourth jury to hear a talcum powder cancer case returned a verdict in favor of Johnson & Johnson and Imerys Talc America. The jury split 11–1 on the decision against Nora Daniels of Columbia, Tennessee, who claimed that her ovarian and uterine cancer was caused by 36 years of using Johnson & Johnson baby powder for feminine hygiene. Ms. Daniels’ cancer was diagnosed in 2013.
The claim was based on Johnson & Johnson’s failure to warn consumers of the possible risks of cancer associated with use of its baby powder and Shower-to-Shower talcum powder in the female genital area.
Juries in the first three lawsuits raising similar claims decided their cases against Johnson & Johnson, awarding the plaintiffs a total of $197 million. Those juries determined that the company failed to warn of studies that linked talcum powder products to female reproductive cancers.
The sole dissenting juror in the Daniels case, George Stair, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he believed there was sufficient evidence to send a message to Johnson & Johnson that it should add a warning to the products’ labels.
More than 3,000 lawsuits presently are pending against Johnson & Johnson in various state, federal and Canadian courts pertaining to the link between talcum powder use by women and reproductive cancers.