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A University of San Diego gynecologic oncologist told a California jury Tuesday that identifying the cause of ovarian cancer in any specific woman is “impossible,” injecting high-stakes uncertainty into a bellwether battle over claims that Johnson & Johnson’s talc products triggered two women’s fatal disease.

Defense Expert Rejects Talc Link

Testifying for J&J in the J&J Women's Cancer Talc suit, Dr. Cheryl Saenz said ovarian cancer stems from a maze of influences — genetics, aging, and environmental exposures — but insisted feminine hygiene use of talc is not among them.

She said scientific literature on talc and cancer risk is “inconsistent at best,” pushing back against decades of litigation and industry scrutiny.

Saenz reviewed one plaintiff’s medical file and testified the woman’s cancer was likely “sporadic,” arising from random gene mutations. Age and prolonged hormone therapy also placed her at heightened risk.

“In my experience, we cannot identify why any one individual woman developed ovarian cancer,” she said. “It’s impossible to do that in any one individual woman.”

Bellwether Trial Sets the Tone

This proceeding marks the first of three bellwether trials in Los Angeles Superior Court for coordinated cases claiming Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower products caused ovarian cancer. The suits are among tens of thousands pending nationwide.

A previous Los Angeles trial ended in a stunning $417 million verdict in 2017, only to be reversed by the judge.

J&J’s Failed Bankruptcy Gambit

For years, J&J attempted to funnel the litigation into a “Texas two-step” bankruptcy strategy. But courts rejected three separate attempts, most recently in March, when a Texas judge dismissed a proposed $9 billion Chapter 11 settlement over voting irregularities and concerns about sweeping third-party releases.

Following the collapse of its bankruptcy efforts, the company returned to courtroom litigation, allowing Los Angeles cases to move toward trial.

In October, a jury in the same jurisdiction hit J&J with a $966 million verdict tied to an 88-year-old woman’s mesothelioma death.

Expert Challenges Studies Cited by Plaintiffs

During testimony that stretched into the afternoon, Saenz dismantled studies suggesting talc could cause ovarian cancer, including research pointing to possible asbestos contamination. She argued the science is methodologically flawed and said no professional medical society lists talc as an ovarian cancer risk.

Saenz added that after roughly 30 years in practice and 7,000 surgeries, she does not ask patients about talc use or warn them against it, stressing there is no biological proof talc can migrate from genital use to the ovaries.

When confronted on cross-examination with studies citing talc found in ovarian tissue, Saenz dismissed the findings as potentially attributable to laboratory contamination.

“Simply finding talc in the ovaries doesn’t mean it migrated,” she said. “It could be there from contamination during specimen processing. I’m not hypothesizing how it gets there — but no study has ever shown the migration happens.”

Trial Nears Closing Arguments

The bellwether trial began Nov. 13, with closing arguments expected later this week. Its outcome is set to send shockwaves through the broader national litigation, shaping how jurors interpret decades of disputed science.