Photo Courtesy of Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson Announces Plan To Resolve All Current and Future Ovarian Cancer Talc Claims
May 1, 2024
Johnson & Johnson is moving forward with a proposed plan of $6.48 billion over 25 years to resolve all current and future ovarian cancer talc claims. Thousands of lawsuits were filed claiming the company’s baby powder and other talc products contain asbestos and cause ovarian cancer.
The company’s official website shared details of the settlement. On May 1, its subsidiary, LLT Management LLC, announced a proposed Plan of reorganization. The company plans to resolve all “current and future claims related to ovarian cancer arising from cosmetic talc litigation against it and its affiliates in the United States.”
Pending approval, the deal would let Johnson & Johnson settle the lawsuits through a third bankruptcy filing of its subsidiary, which “was created to absorb the company’s talc liabilities,” according to CNBC. However, courts have already rejected the company’s two past attempts to use the subsidiary’s bankruptcy to resolve the lawsuits.
“The Plan is the culmination of our consensual resolution strategy that we announced last October,” said Erik Haas, worldwide vice president of litigation at Johnson & Johnson. “Since then, the Company has worked with counsel representing the overwhelming majority of talc claimants to bring this litigation to a close, which we expect to do through this plan.”
Johnson & Johnson says it plans to pay $6.5 billion over 25 years to settle nearly all of the thousands of lawsuits in the U.S. claiming its talc-based products caused ovarian cancer, pending approval of the claimants. https://t.co/oJbbfVWaJG
— NBC News (@NBCNews) May 1, 2024
The pending lawsuits and resolutions constitute 99.75% of the pending lawsuits against the company and its affiliates in the United States. If there are any further pending personal injury lawsuits related to the product, they will be addressed “outside of the plan.” The website claims that the company has already resolved 95% of mesothelioma lawsuits filed to date.
Beyond those claims, there are also state consumer protection claims that will be taken care of outside of the plan. Johnson & Johnson has already put agreements in place to do so.
Finally, the company has also agreed to resolve all of its talc-related claims against it in bankruptcy cases filed by suppliers of its talc. These suppliers include Imerys Talc America Inc., Cyprus Mines Corporation, and their related parties.
The company still maintains its talc products are safe. Johnson & Johnson states that the claims presented are based on allegations “that have been rejected by independent experts, as well as governmental and regulatory bodies, for decades.”
The proposed plan now moves into a three-month voting period for claimants, which did not occur in the company’s previous bankruptcy cases, according to Johnson & Johnson. The company is aiming to reach a 75% support threshold in favor of the plan.
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