A Missouri state jury has ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $72 million in damages to the family of a woman who died from ovarian cancer linked to the company’s talc-based products.

Jacqueline Fox claimed to have used the company’s Shower to Shower and Baby Powder for feminine hygiene for more than 35 years before she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2013 and later died in October of last year.

After four hours of deliberations, jurors found the company to be liable for fraud, negligence and conspiracy.

The jury awarded the family $10 million of actual damages and $62 million in punitive damages. It is the first of many cases to be awarded damages over claims that Johnson & Johnson knew that its talc products can cause cancer.

Hundreds of Claims Filed

Johnson & Johnson is facing approximately 1,000 talcum powder lawsuits in Missouri and another 200 in New Jersey claiming that the company has known about the cancer-causing effects of its talc products since the 1980s. The women believe the company knew about the risks and failed to warn consumers.

In the 1980s, Johnson & Johnson began marketing its Shower to Shower talc product for feminine hygiene. It continues to use talc in its products and maintains that the substance is safe despite studies to the contrary.

The First Award of Damages

The Fox case is the first to receive any amount of damages on behalf of a woman diagnosed with ovarian cancer that is linked to the talc products.

In 2013, a federal judge in South Dakota determined that a woman’s use of the talc-based products contributed to her ovarian cancer, but no damages were awarded.

Our product liability lawyers believe that large corporations like Johnson & Johnson need to be held accountable for selling dangerous products. Contact us today if you have been diagnosed with ovarian cancer after using Baby Powder or Shower to Shower. You may be entitled to file a talcum powder lawsuit.