Record Amount Awarded in Talcum Powder Case

On May 08, 2017

Last week, a St. Louis jury awarded a claimant from Virginia $110.5M in the latest talcum powder lawsuit. Lois Slemp was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2012 and the jury agreed with her legal team's assertions that Johnson & johnson's talc-based products were responsible. This case may mark a change in trend for talcum powder litigation, following 2 recent cases being thrown out of New Jersey courtrooms and a St. Louis jury siding with J&J in March.

This recent ruling has to be a relief for the over 2,000 claimants who still have cases pending in state and federal court around the country. After losing three straight multi-million dollar verdicts last year, Fortune published an article titled "Johnson & Johnson Hopes to Reverse Baby Powder Lawsuits" that outlined the need to change the trend that the company was facing before it started to affect their stock prices. Unlike other products involved in litigation, J&J had not set aside any money as a reserve for future talcum powder cases, and investors became concerned that as additional claims came in, the company's liability could mount.

However, this most recent ruling seems to indicate that the change in trend that the company was vying for was isolated to a few cases, as this verdict is the largest yet awarded in talcum powder litigation. Many legal experts are now predicting that J&J may have to seriously consider a settlement that could satisfy all pending cases.