$29.4 million verdict in Johnson & Johnson talcum powder case

On Wednesday March 13, 2019 a California jury awarded Teresa
Leavitt $24.4 million and her husband, Dean McElroy $5 million in a trial
brought by them against Johnson & Johnson. 
Teresa Leavitt believes her mesothelioma, a terminal disease caused by
asbestos exposure, is linked to her regular use of Johnson & Johnson’s
talcum powder. 

The Leavitt case is the first case to be tried since a
bombshell report by Reuters and the New York Times about the contamination of
baby powder with asbestos.  Both reports
sighted leaked internal documents showing Johnson & Johnson knew about the
problem as far back as 1971.

Johnson & Johnson said they were disappointed in the verdict and they would pursue an appeal. Johnson & Johnson’s spokesperson, Kimberly Montagnino said, “we will pursue an appeal because Johnson’s Baby Powder does not contain asbestos or cause cancer.”  […]

Report: J&J Knew for Decades About Asbestos in Baby Powder

Report: J&J knew about asbestos in their products and issued no warning

In a new report that drove the company’s shares down more than 9%, Reuters stated that Johnson & Johnson has known since the 1970s that its talc baby powder sometimes contained carcinogenic asbestos.

Reuters based its report on a review of documents and deposition and trial testimony that showed that from at least 1971 to the early 2000s, the company’s raw talc and finished powders sometimes tested positive for small amounts of asbestos. Company executives, managers, doctors and lawyers discussed the problem amongst themselves but didn’t inform regulators or the public. The documents examined by Reuters also describe successful efforts to influence U.S. regulators’ plans to limit asbestos in cosmetic talc products and scientific research on the health effects of talc.

The company has faced thousands of lawsuits alleging its talc baby powder products contain asbestos and caused ovarian and other cancers. […]

The next IVC filter case goes to trial this week

Next IVC filter trial begins this week

The third bellwether trial involving C.R. Bard IVC filters began Tuesday, September 18 in Phoenix, AZ.   

Of the more than 9,000 lawsuits alleging that IVC filters have caused patients serious harm, C.R. Bard Inc. and Cook Medical Inc. face the largest number of cases, with about 4,000 each. 

Thus far, the first cases to go to trial have yet to yield a clear victor; there have been wins and losses on both sides, so it is difficult to say how this next trial will end. Cook won the first IVC filter trial last year, but then lost two substantial monetary verdicts in May 2017 and March 2018. Cook’s last win occurred on June 1st.

In Tuesday’s trial, a federal judge will oversee the multi-district litigation over C.R. Bard’s IVC filters. The plaintiff’s attorney, Ramon Lopez was quoted as saying this case could be “ […]

Judge says Monsanto cancer case can move forward

Earlier this week, a federal judge ruled that lawsuits against agricultural giant Monsanto could proceed and that key plaintiffs’ witnesses may testify. The lawsuits allege that Monsanto’s weedkiller Roundup caused users to develop cancer.

This move represents a win for victims, but they will still face an uphill battle at trial, as the judge called their claims “shaky” but admissible.

Thousands of individual plaintiffs claim Monsanto’s widely used weedkiller RoundUp caused them to develop cancer and that Monsanto provided no consumer warning. Specifically, the lawsuits link the ingredient glyphosate to an increased risk of non-Hodgkins lymphoma, and claim that the company knew about the risk and failed to warn the public, going so far as to suppress research that suggested the product was dangerous. The ingredient glyphosate is considered a probable human carcinogen according to the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.  […]

Lawsuits Mount Against Makers of Xarelto

Lawsuits Against Makers of Blood-Thinner Drug Xarelto

Xarelto, a blood thinner used to prevent blood clots and strokes, was approved for medical use in the US in 2011. Xarelto was developed by Bayer and is marketed in the US by Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. (owned by Johnson & Johnson). Unlike some other anticoagulants, Xarelto does not require routine blood testing nor dietary restrictions of any form. However, the risks of this newer drug are much greater. Lawsuits allege that Xarelto can and has caused deadly internal bleeding.

Tens of thousands of plaintiffs have filed  Xarelto lawsuits against Bayer and Johnson&Johnson for such life threatening complications such as internal bleeding, wound leaks, infections, and strokes. The plaintiffs contend that they were not adequately warned about these risks. These cases have been consolidated into multi-district litigation in Louisiana.

What is Multi-District Litigation? […]