Many product liability cases involve sudden and serious injury, but sometimes it is the long-term damage caused by a seemingly harmless product that harms people the most. People may not consider these instances a catastrophic malfunction worthy of a liability case, but they still merit investigation and people harmed by them deserve justice.
Drugwatch reports on the ever-evolving timeline of talcum powder cancer cases levied against Johnson & Johnson.
Recalls and discontinuations
Around October of 2019, the Food and Drug Administration found a small amount of asbestos in a baby powder sample, prompting Johnson & Johnson to recall over 30,000 bottles out of caution. They announced eight months later they would stop selling their brand of talcum powder. But the move comes well after facing more than 20,000 lawsuits regarding ovarian cancer and mesothelioma.
$100 million vs $10 billion
The company recently settled to pay out to more than 1,000 lawsuits alleging their talc-based powder causes cancer in women. Johnson & Johnson insists that, despite settling the lawsuits, their “talc is safe, does not contain asbestos and does not cause cancer.” Though the $100 million goes toward settling for damage claims, estimates put settling all their unresolved cases at a cost of $10 billion.
Harm and justice
like this demand care and earnest investigation. These allegations pose a significant cost to Johnson & Johnson’s bottom line. The damage their product allegedly did, though, poses significant costs to the people who purchased and used their product for years. The long timeline of cancer diagnosis, treatment and recovery does not constitute a statute of limitations for people to get the justice and compensation they need.
