The company will no longer sell these products in the U.S. and Canada.
For decades, Johnson & Johnson promoted their baby powder as a clean, safe product. In addition to its use on babies, it was advertised as a feminine hygiene product, particularly in Black and Latina communities. In recent years, litigation against the corporate giant has reveled that Johnson & Johnson knew that their talc-based baby powder was linked to cancer since at least 1971.
This information was revealed after thousands of lawsuits were filed against Johnson & Johnson and other companies, alleging that they suffered an injury — or their loved one died — from using talc-based baby powder. Through these personal injury lawsuits, Johnson & Johnson has been ordered to pay out billions of dollars to people who have developed cancer from using their products and their families.
As a California personal injury lawyer can explain, when a civil lawsuit is filed, the parties go through a process known as discovery. This involves exchanging information and evidence that is relevant to the case. Discovery from lawsuits related to talc-based baby powder revealed that Johnson & Johnson knew that their raw talc and finished baby powders sometimes tested positive for small amounts of asbestos — which is known to cause cancer. Despite this knowledge, Johnson & Johnson did not disclose the rests of these tests to regulators or to the public.
The theory behind the lawsuits is that Johnson & Johnson sold a dangerous or defective product. In product liability lawsuits, manufacturers, retailers and/or distributors of a product can be held liable if their product was defectively designed, had a manufacturing defect, or if the company failed to warn of a danger associated with the product. Here, Johnson & Johnson knew that its talc-based baby powder products posed a risk of cancer and yet did not warn customers about it.
This decision by Johnson & Johnson is an example of how personal injury lawsuits can be a force for social change. In addition to being a way for victims to get financial compensation for their losses, personal injury lawsuits are often a force for justice. This is particularly true with product liability lawsuits, as many products on the market are poorly regulated. In many cases, companies only stop selling a dangerous or defective product if they face lawsuits over injuries or illnesses that the product has caused. Here, the American public may never have known of the dangers associated with baby powder if these lawsuits hadn’t been filed — and probably would not have ever learned that Johnson & Johnson was aware that their product could cause cancer, and chose to hide that fact.
If you have been injured or developed an illness after using a dangerous or defective product, you may be able to file a lawsuit against the manufacturer, retailer, or distributor of that product. A California personal injury lawyer can help. The legal professionals of PLBH are fierce advocates for victims of all types of personal injuries, including those caused by products like talc-based baby power. Contact us today at (800) 435-7542 or info@plblaw.com to schedule a consultation.