News

Johnson & Johnson to pay Californian woman $417 million over talcum powder lawsuit

By Staff Writer | Update Date: Aug 23, 2017 04:11 AM EDT

Eva Echeverria, a resident of California was the latest person to receive a total of $417 million regarding a talcum powder accusation that caused her ovarian cancer in accordance with a Los Angeles Superior Court order. The verdict was announced on Monday as the purported Johnson & Johnson company, neglected to provide customers enough information about the risks of having cancer from using talcum-based products.

Echeverria's lawyer, Mark Robinson said, "We are grateful for the jury's verdict on this matter and that Eva Echeverria was able to have her day in court."

According to Echeverria, she has contracted life-threatening ovarian cancer after using Johnson & Johnson's products for many decades. The 63-year-old Californian woman's lawyers claimed that the company inspired women regardless of the fact that their products could inhibit cancer development. However, the company contradicted that research and federal agencies were not able to find if talcum products can really cause cancer, Reuters reports.

The total amount of $417 million that Echeverria will receive composes of compensatory damages costing $70 million and $347 million for the punitive damages. It was a significant expense on the part of Johnson & Johnson which currently deals with 4,800 related accusations statewide and was ordered by juries in Missouri to pay more than $300 million to complainants. The company said the will appeal the jury's verdict since they are being directed by Science which abides the safety of Johnson's Baby Powder, as reported by CNN.

Prior to Echeverria's complaint, five trials had been conducted already in the Missouri state court where many cases are awaiting. Johnson & Johnson lost four of the five together with the talc supplier and need to pay $307 million in adjudication and before Monday was ordered to compensate $110 million.

On Thursday evening, a complainant from Wise, Virginia, 62-year-old Lois Slemp won the favor of jury against Johnson & Johnson and was awarded a total amount of $110.5 million. Prior to her victory, the jury has ordered the company to pay roughly $197 million to 3 women with related allegations.

At present, there are about 2,000 cases open in both state and federal courts concerning the safeness of the talcum powder for a long term use including the many names that Johnson & Johnson as well as the French mineral talc manufacturer Imerys as litigants. Not only in Missouri have that class-action lawsuits been filed but also in Canada.

Johnson & Johnson will appeal the cases where it lost based on the scientific studies which produced varied results. According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organization, the genital use of talc-based body powder could cause cancer to humans. On the other hand, the American Cancer Society stated that it's not certain if the products boost the person's risk to cancer.

© 2023 Counsel & Heal All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

Join the Conversation

Real Time Analytics