"J&J wins trial over Florida woman who claimed its baby powder caused her cancer", 18 Apr 2024

A Florida jury... concluded that Johnson & Johnson's (JNJ.N), opens new tab baby powder talc product did not cause the ovarian cancer of a Florida woman who died in 2019.

The lawsuit was brought by family members of Patricia Matthey, a Sarasota County resident who used Johnson's baby powder daily from 1965 until August 2016, when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, according to her family's lawsuit.

J&J's Worldwide Vice President of Litigation Erik Haas said the company was vindicated by the jury's decision.

"Consistent with decades of scientific research, the jury appropriately found that talc is safe, does not contain asbestos and does not cause cancer, which is the same outcome the company achieved in 16 of 17 ovarian cases tried to date," Haas said.

Leigh O'Dell, an attorney for the Matthey family, said she respects the jury's decision, but will remain "undeterred" in future cases against J&J...

J&J faces more than 50,000 lawsuits over talc, most by women with ovarian cancer, with a minority of the cases involving people with mesothelioma. Asbestos exposure is a known cause of mesothelioma...

Trials in the talc cases have had a mixed record, with major plaintiff wins including a $2.1 billion judgment in 2021 awarded to 22 women with ovarian cancer...