Adverse Finding By Federal Investigators Could Put a Nail in Johnson & Johnson's Baby Powder Cancer Defense

The findings of a federal grand jury could become public any day detailing what Johnson & Johnson knew about asbestos contaminating their talc supply and when they knew it

Wednesday, August 5, 2020 - Johnson & Johnson has come under fire in the past several years for failing to warn consumers of what they knew about their talc supply's asbestos contamination. Over 20,000 individuals have filed lawsuits alleging that using Johnson's Baby Powder caused ovarian cancer or mesothelioma. Johnson & Johnson recently discontinued selling Johnson's Baby Powder in the lucrative North American market. The move voluntarily forfeited billions of dollars of income while claiming the reason for the move was to modernize their product line in the era of the Coronavirus, not due to the FDA finding asbestos in their baby powder talc as was the case. Of the many troubles that surround Johnson & Johnson, the one overlooked is that the company could be in deep legal trouble for lying about their knowledge of talc asbestos contamination. Talcum powder cancer lawsuits are handled by top national attorneys offering a free consultation to families and individuals harmed by Johnson and Johnson's talcum powder due to asbestos fibers in the talc.

Johnson and Johnson is under federal criminal investigation by the Justice Department, FBI agents, and Securities and Exchange Commission for allegedly lying about their knowledge that their iconic Johnson's Baby Powder contains asbestos, a known carcinogen. Few media outlets have been willing to publish the story about a company that could easily be their biggest advertising client. As cynical as that may sound, it may be truthful given the fact that media companies are trying desperately just to survive. Several publications like Reuters, The LA Times and others reported what they knew about the Johnson & Johnson Federal talc cancer investigation.

The LA Time highlighted the fact that while Johnson & Johnson were busy defending their position that Johnson's Baby Powder is safe, pure, and asbestos-free, attorneys for plaintiffs suing the company had uncovered internal company memos and presented them to juries indicating that the company knew about an asbestos health problem in talc decades ago. The Times reported: "J&J, the world's largest maker of healthcare products, has said safety tests of its baby powder over many decades have shown no presence of asbestos. But some of the lawsuits have turned up internal memos from as far back as the 1960s and '70s that contain warnings from company scientists that asbestos detected in J&J's talc was a "severe health hazard" that could pose a legal risk for the company." The Times confirms that over the last several years dozens of juries have awarded billions of dollars in punitive damages after hearing such testimony.

At the heart of the investigation is a Federal Grand Jury that has been empaneled to look into discrepancies between what Johnson & Johnson knew and what the company told government regulators regarding talc's asbestos contamination. "Since J&J is a public company, they are probably looking at whether their statements amounted to fraudulent statements to consumers and regulators," Klingeman said. "I'd also think they'd be looking at whether they violated securities fraud laws," the Times reported.