Mid City Times

Mona Bailey, a North Richland Hills resident, said the case against Johnson & Johnson has a chance to come to an end in favor of the claimants, which she hopes the votes will be in favor of. 

"You’ve likely seen on the news that claimants just had an opportunity to vote to settle the case alleging Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder causes ovarian cancer in women," Bailey wrote in a Star Telegram letter to the editor. "There’s so much speculation about this opportunity to end this case for good."

"For this plan to go through, it must clear a 75% hurdle of claimants in support," said Bailey. "If claimants want to end this lengthy process and move on with their lives, then the number of votes will be in their favor. My hope is that enough will see it that way and vote accordingly."

The lawsuit against J&J over claims that trace amounts of asbestos in their baby powder products caused harm to consumers. J&J’s Texas-based subsidiary, LTL Management, is currently facing more than 61,000 lawsuits from consumers alleging health risks associated with the products.

These cases have been some of the largest and most expensive of their kind, and attorney fees for these cases can be as high as a third of the final payout.

"In the case of Johnson & Johnson, the company has offered multiple options to claimants looking to settle out of court rather than continue costly legal battles that could result in fewer rewards for those harmed," Yaël Ossowski, the deputy director for the Consumer Choice Center (CCC) wrote about the topic in a Dallas Express op-ed. "The latest settlement would be a combined $6.5 billion paid out over 25 years to those who were diagnosed with ovarian cancer," but due to large tort firms having interest in these payouts, the cases have continued.  

The pending settlement will require J&J to make four settlement payments to 42 states and Washington, D.C., totalling $700 million nationwide. The company will also permanently halt any manufacturing, promotion, and selling of any products containing talcum powder, including Johnson's Baby Powder.

“Litigation of this nature has sometimes served to hold bad actors accountable and ensure just compensation for victims,” Kasia Mulligan, national spokesperson for Patients Come First (PCF) said in a column on RealClearPolicy. “However, the unfortunate reality is that the recent surge has largely been driven by frivolous lawsuits, with some private-equity firms and hedge funds joining in on the action, loaning out billions to law firms to fund litigation and for ad time with the expectation of a return on their investments. While these cases may intend to benefit patients, they end up hindering progress, causing patients to ultimately bear the brunt of lost innovation."