Our Eligibility & Screening Criteria in Talcum Powder Cases
Your law firm needs a marketing staff with experience handling the marketing side of thousands of talcum powder cases. At Atraxia Media, we use your criteria for cases and focus on the type of potential Plaintiffs you're looking for. Our goal is the same as yours: to get signed contracts that will eventually pay out. To meet this goal, we employ a marketing strategy that includes the following steps:
- Pre-screening. Potential Plaintiffs come to us when they're looking for answers to their legal questions. To help you connect with the most promising prospects, we use pre-screening interviews, focusing on your case criteria.
- Screening each case. During this phase, we listen to potential clients and engage with their concerns while also ensuring that their case meets your requirements.
- Following up on all our calls. If we determine that the client is a good fit for your firm, we promptly follow up with them and check in on them regularly to begin building a solid relationship.
- Obtaining signed contracts for you based on your qualifications. The goal of Atraxia Media is to supply you with talcum powder signed contracts.
- Increasing the number of clients of your law firm. We assist you in attracting more Plaintiffs for talcum powder lawsuits.
- Working to generate cases for you by using our in-house marketing team that has extensive expertise. We ensure we retain for you all the potential Plaintiffs.
- Delivering the potential Plaintiffs interested in talcum powder lawsuits exclusively to your law firm.
People who used talc-containing products may be eligible to file a talcum powder lawsuit if they:
- Have used Johnson and Johnson's talcum or baby powder daily or almost daily for personal hygiene and have been diagnosed with ovarian cancer or mesothelioma.
- Suspect their talc powder use contributed to their diagnosis.
- Have used other talc-containing products, such as clay, chalk, paper, crayons, pottery, joint compounds, adhesives, and developed mesothelioma.
At Atraxia Media, we understand how critical it is to get your client relationships off to a good start. As such, our marketing approach is empathetic with your potential clients, efficient, and tailored to your specific requirements. Our internal team just needs to know the number of cases you require and we can begin working on your talcum powder campaign.
Talcum Powder Facts & History
At least 32,134 cases have been filed in federal court and have been consolidated in huge multidistrict litigation (MDL) at the U.S. court in Trenton, New Jersey since they all address similar complaints. With tens of thousands of claims filed nationwide against J&J related to their talc products, trials are likely to continue. In addition, there have also been some class actions.
According to the evidence presented at trials, talc litigation is the asbestos case of the moment, given that J&J talc was potentially contaminated with asbestos fibers causing ovarian cancer and mesothelioma.
As a result, claims arising from ovarian cancer have been joined by those arising from mesothelioma. Several substantial verdicts across multiple jurisdictions - upwards of $5 billion at the time of this writing - have been handed down so far. J&J has maintained its talcum powder is not contaminated with asbestos. There have been several verdicts finding in favor of the company, and some hung juries and mistrials as well.
JOHNSON & JOHNSON TALCUM POWDER, MDL NO. 2738
Location:
- The U.S. District Court in New Jersey
Presiding Judges:
- Hon. Freda L. Wolfson, U.S.D.J.
- Hon. Lois H. Goodman, U.S.M.J.
Plaintiffs:
- Lead Counsel & Liaison
- Leigh O'Dell
- Michelle Parfait
- Chris Placitella
Executive Committee:
- Warren T. Burns
- Richard Golomb
- Richard Meadow
- Hunter Shkolnik
Steering Committee:
- Laurence S. Berman of Levin, Fishbein, Sedran & Berman in Philadelphia
- Timothy G. Blood of Blood, Hurst & O'Reardon LLP in San Diego
- Sindhu S. Daniel of Baron & Budd, P.C., in Dallas
- Jeff S. Gibson of Cohen & Malad in Indianapolis
- Kristie M. Hightower of Lundy, Lundy, Soileau & South LLP in Lake Charles, Louisiana
- Daniel R. Lapinski of Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer, P.A., in Woodbridge, N.J.
- Victoria Maniatis of Sanders Phillips Grossman LLC in Garden City, N.J.
- Carmen S. Scott of Motley Rice LLC in Mt. Pleasant, S.C.
- Eric H. Weinberg of The Weinberg Law Firm in New Brunswick, N.J.
- C. Mark Whitehead III of the Whitehead Law Firm in Lafayette, La.
- Richard L. Root of Morris Bart LLC in New Orleans.
Defendants:
- Johnson & Johnson
- Sanofi US
- Valeant Pharmaceuticals
- Chattem
- Imerys Talc (Talc Mining Operations)
Products:
- Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder
- Shower to Shower Gold Bond
- Gold Bond No Mess Powder Spray
- Gold Bond Body Powder
- Gold Bond Extra Strength Body Powder
Plaintiff Allegations:
The suits seek compensation for personal injuries or wrongful death that resulted from ovarian cancer, mesothelioma, or other injuries and for the representation of talcum powder as safe and failure to warn that it may cause cancer.
History
Since 2016, the pharmaceutical giant has lost millions in damages in dozens of trials related to its talc products. J&J has constantly appealed the Plaintiff verdicts.
2023:
- Johnson & Johnson offered an $8.9 billion talcum powder lawsuit settlement to thousands of people claiming the company's talcum powder caused them to develop ovarian cancer and mesothelioma. Courts have also awarded billions of dollars in talcum powder lawsuit verdicts.
- A federal appeals court rejected Johnson & Johnson's effort to move over 38,000 lawsuits to the bankruptcy court. Deborah Smith's case was held up for 15 months because of the attempted maneuver, a legal strategy known as the Texas Two-Step. The company's approach relied on the establishment of a subsidiary called LTL Management that could take on the liability for talc-related legal claims.
2022:
- Johnson & Johnson announced it would stop selling talcum powder globally in 2023. The company will switch to a formula based on corn starch. Johnson & Johnson is facing over 40,000 lawsuits nationwide alleging that baby powder contaminated with asbestos caused ovarian cancer and mesothelioma.
2021:
- A Missouri appeals court ordered Johnson & Johnson and a subsidiary to pay $2.1 billion in damages to women who blamed their ovarian cancer on the company's talcum products, including the infamous baby powder. The decision slashed by more than half a record award of $4.69 billion in compensatory and punitive damages to the women, which was made in July 2018. Johnson & Johnson still faces thousands of lawsuits from consumers who claim its talcum powder was contaminated with asbestos, exposure to which can result in ovarian cancer and mesothelioma.
- April:
- A New Jersey appeals court overturned a $117 million jury verdict from 2018 and ordered a new trial to be conducted in a talcum powder lawsuit filed by a man who alleged he developed cancer from asbestos in Johnson's Baby Powder.
- A Los Angeles County jury determined that a talc supplier will pay $4.8 million to a 78-year-old Vietnam veteran diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma, which developed after years of exposure to asbestos particles in Old Spice Talcum Powder products.
- March:
- Johnson & Johnson asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review one claim made by 20 women who indicated that they developed ovarian cancer following years of using Baby Powder or other talc-based products for feminine hygiene. This action was the manufacturer's final attempt to overturn a verdict of $2.1 billion in damages.
- Plaintiffs asked an appeals court to overturn a California federal Judge's decision to dismiss a Baby Powder class-action lawsuit filed against Johnson & Johnson. This decision provided the manufacturer one of its few wins so far in litigation over its talcum powder products.
- February:
- Johnson & Johnson reported it has set aside nearly $4 billion to cover legal expenses and costs associated with resolving claims over asbestos and other harmful ingredients in talc-based products.
- The federal talcum powder litigation parties proposed a trial plan to the U.S. District Judge presiding over the litigation.
- January:
- Johnson & Johnson urged the U.S. District Judge presiding over the MDL to reject a request by Plaintiffs to amend the master complaint. This request sought to add claims regarding the company's failure to preserve evidence in the litigation adequately.
- A large consumer advocacy group devoted to preventing asbestos exposure indicated the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) did not go far enough when issuing a final risk evaluation of asbestos. The evaluation found the toxic substance poses unreasonable risks to public health but failed to address concerns about the toxic fibers in talc consumer products.
2020:
- November:
- After a New York jury determined in 2019 that Johnson & Johnson should pay $325 million to a woman diagnosed with cancer from using Baby Powder, a state court Judge agreed to reduce the award. However, the manufacturer still owes $120 million in damages for failing to warn about the risks associated with their product.
- A virtual trial held in California state court over the link between Johnson & Johnson talcum powder and cancer ended in a mistrial after the Plaintiff's health condition deteriorated rapidly and he later died.
- According to a report by Bloomberg News, Johnson & Johnson agreed to pay $100 million to settle about 1,000 lawsuits over cancer caused by Johnson's Baby Powder and other talcum powder products.
- The U.S. District Judge presiding over all federal talcum powder cancer lawsuits rejected an unusual request by Johnson & Johnson, which sought to have a court-appointed expert assist the jury in upcoming bellwether trials. The Judge indicated the request was not warranted and would usurp the independent role of the jurors in weighing evidence.
- August:
- Johnson & Johnson made an unusual request, asking Judge Freda L. Wolfson that jurors should be assisted by court-approved experts in determining if the talc in its Baby Powder causes ovarian cancer
- A New Jersey appeals court reinstated two state court lawsuits brought by women who alleged talcum powder led to the development of ovarian cancer
- July:
- Judge Freda L. Wolfson indicated that a group of 30 cases were to be selected for a bellwether discovery pool by mid-September and eligible for early trial dates
- June:
- Judge Freda L. Wolfson released a list of 1,000 randomly selected cases to go through bellwether discovery procedures in preparation for early trial dates in the federal court system;
- A $2 billion verdict against Johnson & Johnson was upheld by a Missouri appeals court, indicating that the company should pay damages to a group of women who developed ovarian cancer from Johnson's Baby Powder; a state court Judge rejected efforts by Johnson & Johnson to have the Plaintiffs' expert witnesses excluded from testifying at trial and cleared the way for lawsuits pending in Pennsylvania to proceed
- May:
- Lawyers met with Judge Freda L. Wolfson to discuss the next steps to preparing cases to move forward in the federal court system
- April:
- Judge Freda L. Wolfson rejected Johnson & Johnson's efforts to exclude Plaintiffs' expert witness testimony and cleared the way for more than 16,500 cases brought by women nationwide to proceed one step closer to trial
- February:
- Plaintiffs in the MDL submitted to Judge Freda L. Wolfson a letter pointing out new evidence that strengthens their case
- $750 million in punitive damages, on top of more than $37 million in compensatory damages awarded to four individuals diagnosed with mesothelioma by a New Jersey jury; $9 million awarded to a woman who allegedly developed mesothelioma due to talcum powder usage; in a new product liability lawsuit, an Alabama woman indicated that she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer after asbestos-contaminated talcum powder exposure
- January:
- Judge Freda L. Wolfson cleared the way for a class-action lawsuit to proceed. The lawsuit was brought by investors against Johnson & Johnson over problems with asbestos contamination
2019:
- November: A product liability lawsuit alleges talcum powder exposure led to the death of a New York woman diagnosed with metastatic ovarian cancer
- October: $40 million in damages awarded by a California jury to a woman who developed pleural mesothelioma allegedly caused by talcum powder exposure
- September: $37.3 million awarded to four Plaintiffs who developed mesothelioma; a new complaint was filed in New York by a Plaintiff with ovarian cancer
- June: $12 million in damages awarded by a California jury to a woman who alleged she was diagnosed with mesothelioma due to exposure to talcum powder; a new product liability lawsuit was filed by a New Jersey woman alleging that talcum powder caused her ovarian cancer
- May: $325 million awarded to a woman in New York diagnosed with mesothelioma, $25 million in compensatory damages, and $300 in punitive damages
- March: $29 million awarded to a woman in damages from J&J
2018:
- July: $4.7 billion awarded to 22 women against J&J for causing them to suffer ovarian cancer related to the use of cosmetic talc
- May: $21.7 million in compensatory damages and $4 million in punitive damages awarded to a woman with mesothelioma
- April: $117 million awarded to a retired New Jersey husband and wife, $80 million in punitive damages in addition to $37 million jury verdict awarded against J&J and Imerys SA, their talc supplier
2017:
- November: A Missouri Circuit Court Judge upholds the May 2017 $110 million verdict in an opinion that states the case holds up under the recent SCOTUS ruling
- October: Missouri appeals court reverses the 2016 $72 million verdict citing the Alabama Plaintiff should not have been tried in St. Louis
- August: A woman received a $417 million verdict which was thrown out by a Los Angeles Superior Court Judge
- May: Jury awarded $110 million to a woman who was being treated for aggressive ovarian cancer
2016:
- November: $70 million for a woman with ovarian cancer, $65 million of the verdict was for punitive damages against J&J
- May: $55 million for a woman who was being treated for ovarian cancer. She had used J&J Baby Powder for decades
- February: $72 million, with $62 million in punitive damages. A jury determined that J&J was responsible for the death of a woman who had been using talcum powder for personal hygiene