Posted on June 1, 2021

On Tuesday, June 1, the Supreme Court rejected Johnson & Johnson’s appeal to overturn a $2 billion settlement for women who claimed they developed ovarian cancer from using Johnson & Johnson products. 

On behalf of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), we are pleased the Supreme Court upheld the verdict for the 22 women who have suffered from preventable ovarian cancer caused by asbestos. In 2018, a jury found that J&J’s talc products contain asbestos and asbestos-laced talc. Asbestos exposure has long been proven to cause multiple cancers, including ovarian and lung. However, in court, Johnson & Johnson has frequently ignored women’s asbestos exposure and concerns about their health.

No woman should ever be exposed to asbestos, especially in consumer products. As a mesothelioma widow and mother, I know the pain of watching a loved one die due to asbestos exposure. Asbestos, a known human carcinogen, is responsible for one of the largest man-made disasters. Each year, over 40,000 Americans die from mesothelioma and other asbestos-caused cancers.  

The science is abundantly clear — there is no safe level of exposure to asbestos. It is reprehensible that the U.S. still allows for asbestos imports and use.  

Although Johnson & Johnson has agreed to stop selling talc-based baby powder in the U.S., they have consistently denied the presence of asbestos in their products. Johnson & Johnson should be held responsible in America and around the world for the harm and deaths they have caused. 

Mark Lanier, lead attorney on the case, stated, “This decision sends a clear message to the rich and powerful: You will be held to account when you cause grievous harm under our system of equal justice under law.” 

The Associated Press reported, “Justices Samuel Alito and Brett Kavanaugh took no part in the court’s action. Alito owns $15,000 to $50,000 in Johnson & Johnson stock. Kavanaugh’s father headed the trade association that lobbied against labeling talc a carcinogen and including a warning label on talc products.”

This is one step forward, and though we have many more to take, together, we are making change happen.

Linda Reinstein
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