Colgate-Palmolive Settles Another Talcum Powder Cancer Lawsuit

Published on July 17, 2018 by Sandy Liebhard

Colgate-Palmolive has agreed to settle another mesothelioma lawsuit involving the company’s talcum powder products.

The agreement to resolve the case was announced yesterday, just before the talcum powder lawsuit was set to go to trial in California Superior Court in Los Angeles.

The complaint, which was filed on behalf of 67-year-old Paul Garcia, alleged that talc-based powders marketed by Colgate-Palmolive’s and its predecessor company, Mennen, were tainted with asbestos and contributed to his mesothelioma.

The confidential settlement is the latest to involve Colgate-Palmolive’s talcum powder products and mesothelioma.

Late last year, Colgate-Palmolive agreed to settle another talcum powder lawsuit for an undisclosed amount. The mesothelioma settlement allowed the company to avoid going to trial in New Jersey Superior Court.

In 2015, a Los Angeles Superior Court jury ordered the company to pay $13 million to another plaintiff who developed mesothelioma after using the company’s talc-based powders.

Colgate-Palmolive continues to deny the presence of asbestos in its talcum powders and has not admitted liability in the settled cases.

Johnson & Johnson Talcum Powder Mesothelioma Lawsuits

Johnson & Johnson is also facing a growing number of lawsuits filed on behalf of individuals who allegedly developed mesothelioma or ovarian cancer due to their use of the company’s Baby Powder and Shower-to-Shower products.

Most recently, a jury in Missouri awarded $4.7 million to 22 plaintiffs who claimed that the company’s asbestos-tainted powders contributed to their ovarian cancer.

In April, a jury in New Jersey’s Middlesex County Superior Court awarded $117 million in compensatory and punitive damages to a man who alleged that his life-long use of Baby Powder was the only possible explanation for his mesothelioma diagnosis.  Johnson & Johnson was found 70% liable for the damages incurred by the Plaintiff and his wife, while its supplier, Imery’s Talc America, was found 30% responsible.

Johnson & Johnson Talcum Powder Mesothelioma Lawsuits

Johnson & Johnson has also been sued by thousands of women who allegedly developed ovarian cancer merely due to their long-term use of the company’s talcum powder products for feminine hygiene.

These plaintiffs do not make any allegations in regards to asbestos. Rather, they claim that the regular and repeated application of talcum powder to the female genitals allows talc to enter the vagina and eventually make contact with ovarian tissue. Over time, the accumulating talc purportedly causes the type of inflammation that encourages the growth of cancer cells.

Since February 2015, a half-dozen such talcum powder ovarian cancer claims have produced multi-million-dollar verdicts against Johnson & Johnson, with damages ranging from $55 million to $417 million. The company is currently appealing these verdicts and has so far managed to have three tossed.