Talcum Powder is a very common ingredient used in baby powder and cosmetic toiletries. It’s so common, in fact, that most people are using it in their daily lives without even realizing it. Until recently, using talcum powder was a common occurrence, but since, there have been links between the powder and cancer. Here’s everything you need to know about the case against talcum powder.
The Talcum Powder Case
The allegations are that talcum powder causes ovarian cancer. We’ve all used the powder on our kids or on ourselves, but until recently, we weren’t aware that talcum powder comes from the same mines where asbestos comes from. So, in the allegations and some of the documents show that Johnson & Johnson knew the risk of ovarian cancer with talcum powder dating back to the 70’s, but they’ve never put any warnings on it. So far, there have been several trials that have resulted in big verdicts for the victim. With the Jackie Fox case, that resulted in a $72 million verdict in her favor. The Gloria Ristesund case resulted in $55 million in her favor. They’ve ranged with the last trial on August 21st, 2017 which was in a Los Angeles, California court, they awarded $417 million.
Can a Patient Enter the Case Now?
Yes, the case is still ongoing.
When Will the Case Be Settled?
Usually what will happen is the court will have plaintiff lead counsel select five cases and defense lead counsel will select five cases. Of those 10 cases, the court will select certain cases and then they’ll hold what are called bellwether trials. There’s usually time to give everybody an idea of the value of these cases depending on the outcome of those trials. They drive whether or not defense is going to settle and that type of deal, settle the claim.
What Can a Patient Expect in Terms of Settlement?
It depends on their injury and it depends on the factors that are considered based on the product. If I’m alleging cancer but the client has had a long family history of cancer or they’re smokers, all that factors in. The age of the client can play a factor depending on what the product is. There’s different things for each case that can affect your settlement, it’s not a one size fits all situation.
How Can an Attorney Help?
An attorney will gather their medical records and make sure you are a candidate for this specific case. Once that is established, your attorney will draft the complaint and help you through the process of plaintiff fact sheet. At that point, they will take over and do basically everything. A good attorney will only need the client to tell us where they had the surgery, who the surgeon was and what problems they were having and who they treated with.
If you’ve experienced health issues due to a Talcum Powder, contact the expert attorneys at Stewart & Stewart today. Give us a call at 1-800-33-33-LAW or visit our website for more information.