When using a product that is supposed to be soothing and pain relieving, the last thing you should have to worry about is whether or not you’re taking a long-term health risk. Unfortunately, many thousands of cases filed against corporate conglomerate Johnson & Johnson allege that their baby powders and talc-based products are potentially harmful. If you or a loved one has developed a serious illness, like cancer, and believe it to be caused by such a product, contact Altman & Altman LLP today.
For many years, Johnson & Johnson has claimed that their baby powder and other talc-based products are soothing and safe to use. Over 16,000 lawsuits – including the first large one of 2020 filed on behalf of the Attorney General of New Mexico – allege otherwise, saying the powders contain harmful elements such as asbestos that cause various types of cancer, including mesothelioma.
The New Mexico lawsuit, filed at the beginning of January, alleges that Johnson & Johnson failed to warn consumers about the dangers of their products and misled consumers – particularly children, black women and Hispanic women – about the safety of using those products.
A troubling trend
Certainly, no one lawsuit is proof that a company is lying and knowingly harming its customers. The basis of the United States justice system is that such claims need to be properly aired and defended in a court of law. However, in the case of these allegedly harmful baby powder and talc products produced by Johnson & Johnson, the sheer number of lawsuits filed certainly indicates a troubling trend of accusations that gravitate towards similar causes and similar harmful effects.
Johnson & Johnson is certainly not shying away from defending their case either, reportedly setting aside $190 million during just one quarter of its year in 2019 to defend specifically against these talc lawsuits. The complaint filed in Santa Fe also names another company, Valeant Pharmaceuticals, which is now known as Bausch Health Companies.
In certain cases, including the most recent on, they allege the company knowingly marketed one side of the story regarding their talc products while a very real concern existed within their own executive offices about the products on the inside. Those concerns, reportedly by the New York Times go back decades to the 1970s and include concerns that the primary ingredient in their baby powder could “potentially be contaminated by asbestos.”
The company’s current legal defense may rest on the ultimate decision of an appeal being heard in federal court – which will decide whether the analysis of scientific experts called to testify in prior cases are to be upheld or overruled. If they are upheld, it could spell disastrous precedent for Johnson & Johnson in defending its other cases. If the results are overruled, however, it could mean exactly the opposite and spell disaster for those seeking recompense for diseases they believe were caused by using Johnson & Johnson products.
Let us fight the battle for you
Johnson & Johnson will likely continue appealing cases they lose and aggressively defending the cases that have yet to be decided – as they have done consistently throughout the decades of these types of allegations. Altman & Altman LLP has the experience and resources to take your case and litigate it to the best of our ability to achieve your desired results.
With over 50 years of experience, Altman & Altman LLP have helped clients in Cambridge, Greater Boston and throughout Massachusetts fight back against even the biggest companies and legal challenges. If you believe you or a loved one has developed a serious illness after years of using Johnson & Johnson products, contact us right away. We may be able to win you a settlement that can help pay for medical bills and compensate for time missed from work while you recovered.
Contact us online or call for a free consultation to go over the details of your case today at 617-492-3000 or toll-free at 800-481-6199. We are available 24/7.