A St. Louis jury ordered healthcare and consumer products company Johnson & Johnson (J&J) to pay $55 million in damages to a woman who claimed that the talc contained in the company's baby powder was the reason why she had ovarian cancer. This is the second decision asking J&J to pay damages to because of its powder.
According to USA Today, Gloria Ristesund will receive $50 million in punitive damages from the company. Of course, this is in addition to another $5 million she will receive for damages from Johnson & Johnson.
The J&J customer said she used the company's baby powder and other feminine products prior to being diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Her disease is now in remission. Ristesund is just one of the many women who has filed legal charges against the company who all claimed that they were not properly informed of the dangers of talc.
Johnson & Johnson loses another ovarian cancer lawsuit linked to baby powder: https://t.co/N0JWvd8A48 pic.twitter.com/YmsPerkjyg
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Reuters noted that this recent verdict followed a similar decision from the same court last February. J&J was asked to pay $72 million to the family of a woman who died of ovarian cancer after years of using the company's feminine hygiene products.
In a statement, J&J spokesperson Carol Goodrich said that the court decisions contradict three decades of research which declares talc safe to use for cosmetic and hygienic purposes. She said that the company will appeal the ruling and stand by the safety of its products.
This claim was supported by Winthrop-University Hospital Gynecologic Oncology and Director of Clinical Cancer Services chief Eva Chalas who told USA Today that it is hard to establish a link between talc and ovarian cancer.
"The information on talc powder came out many years ago when they saw talc incorporated in the tissue of women with ovarian cancer," Chalas explained. She noted that this led doctors to tell mothers to avoid using talcum powder for their babies and feminine hygiene.
