J&J is facing a new criminal investigation in regards to their talcum powder cancer lawsuit. The investigation is in order to determine if the company had misled consumers about the presence of asbestos in its talcum powder and the resulting cancer risk.
This criminal investigation is ongoing and is backed up by thousands of lawsuits that all allege failure to warn consumers. According to News.Law, a federal grand jury will be determining whether or not the company knew and denied that their product had contained trace amounts of asbestos.
In response to the claims, Johnson & Johnson issued a statement that said, “The key documents on this issue have been publicly available for months on our website. The documents establish that Johnson’s Baby Powder does not contain asbestos or cause cancer. The implication that there has been a new development in this matter is flatly wrong”.
According to The Mesothelioma Center, the company has said for years that their talcum powder does not cause cancer or contain asbestos with proof from their medical studies. Other studies that used different tests, however, have shows small amounts of asbestos in certain samples of their powder.
Update on Talc Litigation
Due to the allegations, there has been over $5 billion awarded to plaintiffs against J&J. However, due to the addition of a criminal investigation against the company, the settlement in many of the pending civil claims will likely be delayed. There is hope that this criminal investigation could uncover new evidence that could help advance civil cases and open the door for punitive damages motions.
If you have been exposed to talcum powder and have developed an adverse health effect, please contact the McEwen Law Firm right away.