Federal Judge Casts Doubt on 69,000 Cases Alleging J&J Talc Caused Cancer

A national justice formed uncertainty connected July 22 connected claims by astir 69,000 radical alleging that Johnson & Johnson’s JNJ.N babe pulverization and different talc products caused ovarian cancer, saying plaintiffs indispensable supply much circumstantial grounds oregon hazard having their lawsuits dismissed.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Rukhsanah Singh successful Trenton, New Jersey, said that caller grounds by 2 of the plaintiffs’ experts raised doubts astir whether immoderate plaintiffs tin supply grounds admissible successful tribunal “that talcum pulverization usage specifically caused her ovarian cancer.”

The 2 experts, Judith Wolf and Daniel Clarke-Pearson, testified successful May successful mentation for a acceptable of six “bellwether,” oregon test, trials for the thousands of cases that person been consolidated successful New Jersey’s national court. Verdicts successful bellwether trials are utilized to measure the imaginable worth of remaining claims and usher colony talks.

J&J has denied the allegations that its talc products caused cancer, saying that talc was harmless and did not incorporate asbestos.

“Today’s determination brings these cases 1 measurement person inevitable, equitable and due outcome—the implicit dismissal of the talc litigation,” J&J’s vice president of litigation, Erik Haas, said successful a statement.

A spokesperson for the institution did not instantly respond to a petition for comment, nor did a pb lawyer for the plaintiffs.

Wolf and Clarke-Pearson said they could not wholly regularisation retired different imaginable causes of the plaintiffs’ ovarian cancer, according to Singh’s opinion.

“If specified uncertainty is so reality, past however tin immoderate plaintiff present conscionable her load connected the merits of her claim?” Singh wrote.

Singh said that the statement implicit causation would not pb to “instant dismissal” of the thousands of cases successful the consolidated national litigation. The justice ordered plaintiffs to respond by November 19, and to explicate wherefore their lawsuit should not beryllium dismissed implicit the nonaccomplishment to supply an admissible adept sentiment that J&J talc caused their circumstantial cancer.

In summation to the consolidated national tribunal cases, J&J besides faces lawsuits successful authorities courts astir the U.S. J&J has won immoderate of the caller trials successful authorities courts, but juries ⁠have awarded ample verdicts for plaintiffs successful different cases.

The litigation resumed successful March 2025, aft being enactment connected clasp for much than 3 years during J&J’s repeated failed attempts to resoluteness the lawsuits done a ammunition company’s bankruptcy.

J&J stopped selling talc-based babe pulverization successful the U.S. successful 2020, switching to a cornstarch product.

Topics Legislation