For the second time this year, a court has denied Johnson & Johnson’s effort to use bankruptcy as a defense against tens of thousands of lawsuits related to its talcum powder products, which have been shown to cause cancer.

In an attempt to shield itself from the talc lawsuits, Johnson & Johnson created a corporate subsidiary in 2021, proposed that it pay $8.9 billion to settle the disputes, and declared the subsidiary bankrupt.

Late last week, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey put a stop to the plan, ordering that the proposed settlements did not put Johnson & Johnson in “imminent or immediate financial distress.” An appellate court in Philadelphia issued a similar ruling earlier this year.

“J&J has spent two years trying to convince us that somehow a company worth a half-trillion dollars is bankrupt,” a lawyer representing some of the plaintiffs told The New York Times. “It’s time for the nonsense to stop and for J&J to accept responsibility.”

Talcum powder is made from talc, a mineral made up of magnesium, silicon, and oxygen. It absorbs moisture and helps prevent rashes, particularly in infants. It is also widely used in cosmetics and other consumer products.

Talc sometimes contains asbestos, a fiber which is known to cause lung cancer and mesothelioma, a fatal respiratory condition, when inhaled. Some studies have also indicated that talcum powder containing asbestos can cause ovarian cancer in women.

Johnson & Johnson made headlines just days before the court’s ruling, when it filed a controversial lawsuit against a group of four doctors who published the studies linking talc to cancer.

The company stopped selling talc-based products earlier this year, but individuals who have filed talc lawsuits claim the company has known about the danger for decades.

If you or a loved one developed cancer after using a product containing talc, contact the Roach Law Firm today. Our talc lawyers have won billions of dollars over the years, for clients just like you. They have participated in the following landmark cases:

  • $730 Million Truck Accident Verdict
    In 2021, Roach Law Firm Partner Nelson J. Roach won $730 million in a case arising from a Texas truck accident, the fourth-largest jury verdict in the United States and third-largest in Texas that year. The case was filed by the family of East Texas resident Toni Combest, a 73-year-old great-grandmother who was killed in a collision with an oversize-cargo truck hauling a propeller for a U.S. Navy nuclear submarine.
  • Lone Star Steel Litigation
    Roach Law Firm Partner Nelson J. Roach represented thousands of steel workers at the Lone Star Steel Mill when they began to suffer from breathing problems and cancer. Roach successfully prosecuted the Lone Star Steel Litigation against some of the most skilled and expensive lawyers in the country for over a decade, ultimately winning $90 million for the plaintiffs.
  • Red River Army Depot Litigation
    When workers at the Red River Army Depot in Northeast Texas began to suffer from diseases caused by exposure to rubber products in the workplace, Roach Law Firm Partner Nelson J. Roach fought for their rights and recovered $47 million on their behalf.
  • The State of Texas Tobacco Litigation
    In 1995, Roach Law Firm Partner Nelson J. Roach and his former law firm were among a group selected by the State of Texas to prosecute the state’s claims against the tobacco industry. Roach and his team members won $17 billion for the state, setting a record for the largest settlement of a single legal case in U.S. history.

If you or a loved one has been injured by a product containing talc, the Roach Law Firm’s talc lawyers will investigate your claim, help you gather all necessary evidence, and win the compensation you deserve.