Johnson & Johnson has agreed to pay $700 million in a nationwide settlement resolving allegations that it misled prospects in regards to the security of its talcum-based powder merchandise in its advertising.
“Shoppers depend on correct info when making selections about which merchandise to buy for his or her households,” Illinois Legal professional Normal Kwame Raoul, one in every of 43 attorneys basic concerned within the lawsuit, mentioned in a press release Tuesday. “Any firm — irrespective of how giant — have to be held accountable when legal guidelines defending customers are damaged and their belief is violated.”
As a part of the settlement, which remains to be pending judicial approval, the well being merchandise large will completely cease the manufacturing, promotion and sale of all of its child powder and different physique and beauty merchandise that include talcum powder. That features Johnson’s Child Powder and Johnson & Johnson’s Bathe to Bathe. The corporate determined to pull talc-based powders off the market in North America in 2020.
J&J will make 4 settlement funds, beginning on the finish of July, to 42 states and Washington, D.C., in accordance with the settlement.
In a press release, J&J’s worldwide vice chairman of litigation, Erik Hass, mentioned the corporate “continues to pursue a number of paths to attain a complete and ultimate decision of the talc litigation. That progress consists of the finalization of a beforehand introduced settlement that the Firm reached with a consortium of 43 State Attorneys Generals to resolve their talc claims. We’ll proceed to deal with the claims of those that don’t wish to take part in our contemplated consensual chapter decision by means of litigation or settlement.”
The $700 million settlement is the newest growth in decade-long authorized battles and investigations into hyperlinks between most cancers and the talc utilized in one in every of its best-known merchandise. Greater than 50,000 claims have been filed towards the corporate, totally on behalf of ladies who developed ovarian most cancers.
Earlier this month, a jury in Oregon awarded $260 million to an area girl who claimed that the corporate’s child powder merchandise have been “instantly accountable” for her most cancers analysis in 2003. In April, a jury awarded $45 million to the household of an Illinois girl who died in 2020 from mesothelioma after being uncovered to asbestos in J&J powder.
Final month, J&J supplied to pay $6.5 billion to settle the talc-powder lawsuits.
