Missouri’s highest court has rejected a bid by Johnson & Johnson to transfer more than 2,000 lawsuits alleging ovarian cancer from its talcum powder products out of a St. Louis state court.
Free Confidential Lawsuit Evaluation: If you or a loved one was diagnosed with ovarian cancer after using talcum powder, you should contact our law firm immediately. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a suit and our lawyers can help.
What’s the Problem?
February 9, 2017 – J&J’s petition sought transfer of about 2,500 talc cancer lawsuits out of St. Louis state court, which has become a hub for the talcum powder litigation. The complaints were all filed on behalf of women who allegedly developed ovarian cancer after decades of using products like Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower-to-Shower.
Most of the lawsuits were filed in the 22nd Circuit Court for St. Louis City. Outside of Missouri, a multidistrict litigation (MDL No. 2738) is currently pending in New Jersey federal court. A number of cases have also been filed in California state court.
Despite conflicting studies regarding the link between talcum powder and cancer, J&J has recently suffered 3 costly defeats in St. Louis, amounting to approximately $195 million in compensation for ovarian cancer patients and their families. Hoping to reverse this trend, J&J asked Judge Rex M. Burlison to transfer most of the other talc lawsuits pending in St. Louis to friendlier jurisdictions across the U.S.
J&J argued that plaintiffs’ attorneys had flooded the St. Louis market with TV ads which tainted the city’s jury pool. That argument was rejected by Burlison and Missouri’s Court of Appeals. The Missouri Supreme Court has also weighed in on the issue, affirming plaintiffs’ right to file talcum powder lawsuits in St. Louis.
The next talc trial is scheduled to begin this week in St. Louis. The plaintiff in that case, Nora Daniels of Tennessee, alleges that in 2013 she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer after 36 years of using Johnson’s Baby Powder.
Do I Have a Talcum Powder Class Action Lawsuit?
The Class Action Litigation Group at our law firm is an experienced team of trial lawyers that focus on the representation of plaintiffs in talcum powder lawsuits. We are handling individual litigation nationwide and currently accepting new cancer cases in all 50 states.
Free Case Evaluation: Again, if you got cancer from Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder, Shower to Shower or other talc product, you should contact our law firm immediately. You may be entitled to a settlement by filing a suit and we can help.