On Friday, October 18, 2019, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. announced that it is recalling approximately 33,000 bottles of baby powder in the United States after U.S. health regulators found trace amounts of asbestos in samples taken from a bottle purchased online. Asbestos is a known carcinogen that has been linked to mesothelioma.
Johnson & Johnson is already facing thousands of lawsuits from plaintiffs claiming use of J&J talc products caused cancer. On October 4, 2016, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) issued an order transferring additional federal cases alleging that women developed cancer following use of Johnson & Johnson’s talcum powder products (namely Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower body powder) to U.S. District Judge Freda L. Wolfson in the District of New Jersey for coordinated or consolidated pretrial proceedings. (MDL 2738, In Re: Johnson & Johnson Talcum Powder Products Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation)
A MDL is a type of legal proceeding that helps federal courts efficiently manage many similar cases filed in many different courts across the U.S. by allowing the temporary transfer of all of the federal civil lawsuits to one or more district courts for pretrial consolidation or coordination. The JPML is a group of federal judges designated by the Chief Justice of the United States, which has the responsibility for determining which cases qualify for MDL treatment, as well as which district court to transfer and consolidate these cases. The transfers are made if the Panel determines that the transfers will result in the convenience of the parties and witnesses and will promote the just and efficient conduct of the cases. (For more information about MDLs and the JPML, contact Borgess Law.)
How We Can Help:
Borgess Law, LLC is currently accepting talc powder cancer cases. If you or someone you know used baby powder, Shower to Shower, or other talc-based products and was diagnosed with ovarian or other types of cancer, feel free to contact Consumer Product Litigation Attorney Pamela A. Borgess of Borgess Law, LLC at (567) 455-5955. You can also contact Borgess Law by submitting an online inquiry. Borgess Law never charges a fee for an initial consultation.