Johnson's Baby Powder Trials Resume After Imrey Bankruptcy Delay

Trials and retrials are resuming this week after administrative details surrounding Imreys' bankruptcy were ironed out

Friday, September 20, 2019 - A retrial has begun in the case of plaintiff Carolyn Weirick who claimed that her lifelong use of Johnson's Baby Powder directly contributed to her developing mesothelioma, a rare but deadly form of cancer of the lining of the lungs. Weirich testified in an earlier trial that ended in a mistrial that she had no other exposure to asbestos. Only around 3000 cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed every year making tracing the origins of the disease relatively easy. More than 9 out of ten cases of mesothelioma can be traced to inhaling asbestos frequently, regularly and over many years. Ms. Weirich will testify that she used Johnson's Baby Powder which expert witnesses will claim contains asbestos, almost every day for 40 years leading to her illness. Talcum powder cancer lawsuit attorney will provide a free case review to persons who were diagnosed with ovarian cancer and have a history of talcum powder use for perineal hygiene.

Weirich's accusations are supported by internal Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) memos that indicate the company knew that their talc supply, mined close to talc mines scattered around the US, Europe, and China, was contaminated with asbestos, a known carcinogen. JNJ and other cosmetics companies are self-regulated their and would regularly test for the presence of asbestos which they claim they never found. The method the company had been using to test for asbestos has come into question, however, as being too insensitive to detect smaller quantities of the naturally-occurring mineral. Memos unveil that the company feared that the FDA would adopt a more stringent testing method that would create a problem for the company. "Companies could be hard-pressed supporting purity claims, the letter read. The FDA proposal will open new problem areas with asbestos and talc minerals," according to The Northern California Record. Company officials also testified that they had tested replacing talc with cornstarch and that consumers favored the switch by a 2 to 1 margin.

Several trials that were scheduled to begin over a month ago have been delayed as administrative details are worked out following the bankruptcy of Imreys Inc., Johnson & Johnson's talc supplier, and a named co-defendant. Courtroom View New also points out that the delay in the Weirich retrial has allowed time for more damning evidence about Johnson & Johnson's role in hiding their knowledge of asbestos in their talc to be brought to light. "(the retrial is ) taking place in the wake of two widely-read bombshell reports by Reuters and The New York Times detailing J&J's alleged knowledge that their cosmetic talc products contained asbestos - allegations the company vehemently denies."

The Weirick retrial comes in the wake of another stunning loss for Johnson & Johnson, to a group of four plaintiffs that alleged that asbestos in Johnson's Baby Powder caused their mesothelioma. A plaintiffs group consisting of D'Angela McNeill-George, 41; Douglas Barden, 65; David Etheridge, 57; and Will Ronning, 46 were awarded $37.3 million for their lifetime of using Johnson's Baby Powder and developing peritoneal mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer of the lining of the abdomen.