Johnson & Johnson has been handed another court loss over claims that its talcum powder causes cancer. A report from CNN revealed that the company is ordered to pay $55 million to a certain Gloria Ristesund, in damages.
The verdict was handed by a jury in St. Louis. Ristesund claims she used the company's talcum powder for over 35 years before she was diagnosed in 2011 with ovarian cancer.
Attorneys for the claimant believed that Johnson & Johnson failed to warn consumers, even with its knowledge of potential health risks that are associated with its talcum powder product.
"Internal documents from J & J show it knew of studies connecting talc use and ovarian cancer but, to this day, it continues to market it as safe -- neglecting any warning," said The Onder Law Firm, the firm representing Ristesund, in a statement.
Court documents revealed that the ovarian cancer developed due to the practice of Ristesund of applying J & J talcum powder in her genitals, for more than three decades.
However, the company insisted that its products are safe (even if it is faced with around 1,200 similar claims), and said that it will appeal the verdict. Some researchers have said that links of talcum powder with ovarian cancer are unproven.
But Ristesund has to undergo a hysterectomy and additional related surgeries. Thankfully, she is now in remission.
After a three-week trial, the trial jury in a Missouri state court awarded her $5 million in compensatory damages and another $50 million in punitive damages.
Ristesund, according to her lawyer Jere Beasley, was happy with the verdict. He added that the jury's decision should "end the litigation." Beasley wished that this decision will force Johnson & Johnson to settle its remaining cases.
This verdict comes after a jury from the same court awarded $72 million in February to the family of a woman who died due to ovarian cancer after using J&J talcum powder for feminine hygiene for years.
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