J&J loses another talc powder trial

Johnson & Johnson was ordered by a US jury on Monday to pay $55 million to a woman who said that using the company's talc-powder products for feminine hygiene caused her to develop ovarian cancer.

The verdict that J&J plans to appeal against was the second straight trial loss for the company facing about 1,200 lawsuits with accusations of not adequately warning consumers about its talc-based products' cancer risks.

Following a three-week trial in Missouri state court, jurors deliberated for about a day before returning a verdict for Gloria Ristesund. She was awarded $5 million in compensatory damages and $50 million in punitive damages.

J&J spokeswoman Carol Goodrich said the verdict contradicted 30 years of research supporting the safety of cosmetic talc. The company intends to appeal against the verdict and will keep defending the safety of its products, she added.

Ristesund said she used J&J's talc-based powder products including the well-known Baby Powder and Shower to   Shower Powder on her genitals for decades. According to her lawyers, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and had to undergo a hysterectomy and related surgeries. Her cancer is now in remission.

Jere Beasley, whose firm represents Ristesund, said his client was gratified with the verdict. The jury's decision should "end the litigation" and compel J&J to settle the remaining cases, he said.

J&J shares were down 18 cents in after-hours trading to $112.57.

The verdict followed a $72 million jury award by the same court in February to the family of a woman who died from ovarian cancer after years of using talc powder for feminine hygiene.

That verdict, which J&J is appealing against, sparked renewed interest in talc-powder lawsuits among plaintiffs' lawyers as well as consumers of J&J powder products. But scientists have told Reuters that the evidence of a real danger is inconclusive.

Plaintiffs in talc litigations filed with Missouri and New Jersey state courts have accused J&J of failing for years to warn its customers that talc was linked to an increased risk of ovarian cancer. J&J said it acted properly in developing and marketing the products.

The only other case over talc powder and ovarian cancer resulted in a mixed verdict in South Dakota federal court in 2013. While those jurors found J&J negligent, they awarded no damages to the plaintiff whose cancer was in remission at the time of the trial.