As of July 2021, the total count of talcum powder in the MDL class action lawsuit is 34,090. This makes the talcum powder lawsuit the second largest MDL class action lawsuit in the entire country.
Supreme Court Declines to Hear Appeal by J&J in the $2 Billion Talc Powder Verdict
The United States Supreme Court (SCOTUS) has declined to hear Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J) challenge to the $2.1 billion verdict that was awarded to 20 women who had brought the product liability claims against the powder manufacturer.
The plaintiffs in the case had alleged the products contained asbestos that J&J knew about and hid the information from the public. The plaintiffs claimed the talc products caused ovarian cancer. In 2018, J&J was found liable by a Missouri jury and awarded a whopping $4.7 billion to the plaintiffs. J&J appealed, but the verdict was upheld by a Missouri appeals court. The court did, however, reduce damages to $2.1 billion.
Unwilling to admit defeat, J&J petitioned SCOTUS to take the case. The company claimed unfairness in the court proceedings and demanded a fair trial. The SCOTUS rejected the case. Not a single dissenting opinion was written in the judgment. Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr. and Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh both recused themselves from the case.
J&J is Shaking in Their Billionaire Boots
The overwhelming amount of lawsuits that the company is up against for alleged safety, marketing tactics, drugs, and most recently the facilitation of a horrific opioid epidemic has got to play a small part in the minds of SCOTUS. The decision is an about-face in a culture known for showing favoritism towards big corporations.
“A jury doesn’t simply turn their back to a corporation and believe that a corporation always has the best interest of consumers at mind,” said Lawyer Mike Papantonio. “We’re seeing a major shift here.”