In July 2018, a jury in Missouri ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $4.8 billion to 22 women who claimed that they are suffering from ovarian cancer because of its baby powder products. In 2016, a jury in the state ordered the company to pay $72 million to the family of woman who died from ovarian cancer linked to her use of Johnson’s Baby Power and Shower to Shower.
Additionally, in May last year, a jury in California slapped Johnson & Johnson with a $25.7 million verdict in a lawsuit filed by a woman who claimed that she developed cancer by using the company’s baby powder.
Company says it has strong grounds to overturn negative verdicts
The company successfully defended itself in some of the lawsuits. It believes that it “has strong grounds on appeal to overturn the negative verdicts against it.”
In December, Johnson & Johnson launched a national ad campaign defending its baby powder products against an investigative report from Reuters. The report claimed that the company knew for decades that its baby powder products contained small amounts of asbestos.
