Talcum Powder Cancer Diagnosis Led To Need For Hysterectomy, Multiple Surgeries, Lawsuit Claims
More than five decades of exposure to talcum powder caused an ovarian cancer diagnosis, according to allegation raised in a product liability lawsuit filed by a woman who subsequently required a hysterectomy and multiple surgeries.
The complaint (PDF) was brought earlier this month by Nandikumarie Carpenk, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. It names Johnson & Johnson as the defendant, indicating that widely used talc-based products like Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower-to-Shower increase the risk of cancer.
Carpen, who was born in 1964, indicates she used the Johnson & Johnson talcum powder products her entire life for feminine hygiene, regularly applying the powder around her genitals, which she indicates resulted in a diagnosis of ovarian cancer in August 2016.
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Talcum powder or talc powder may cause women to develop ovarian cancer.
Learn More About this Lawsuit See If You Qualify For CompensationAccording to the lawsuit, Carpen has undergone a radical abdominal hysterectomy, pelvic lymph adenectomy, and paraaortic lymph node biopsy, as well as a bilateral salpingo oophorectomy, where both ovaries and the fallopian tubes are removed.
The case raises similar allegations to those presented against Johnson & Johnson in nearly 12,000 other Johnson’s Baby Powder lawsuits and Shower-to-Shower lawsuits pending in courts nationwide, claiming that the manufacturer has known for decades about the potential link between talcum powder and cancer, yet failed to warn consumers.
“Defendants had a duty to know and warn about the hazards associated with the use of the Products,” Carpen’s lawsuit states. “In addition, Defendants procured and disseminated false, misleading, and biased information regarding the safety of the Products to the public including the Plaintiff and used influence over governmental and regulatory bodies regarding talc.”
Given similar questions of fact and law raised in complaints filed throughout the federal court system, all talcum powder cancer diagnosis cases are consolidated for pretrial proceedings as part of a multidistrict litigation (MDL), which is centralized before U.S. District Judge Freda L. Wolfson in the District of New Jersey.
A number of cases have already gone to trial at the state level, with several resulting in large verdicts for plaintiffs diagnosed with ovarian cancer or mesothelioma. Last month, a jury awarded a $29 million verdict for failing to warn about the risk of mesothelioma from talcum powder. In addition, last year a Missouri jury returned a landmark $4.7 billion verdict for 22 women diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
Johnson & Johnson is appealing each of the prior verdicts, and previously indicated that it intends to continue to fight the cases at trial. However, it was recently reported that the company reached settlements to resolve at least three talcum powder cancer claims that were either in the middle of trial or set to begin in the coming weeks.
If Judge Wolfson determines that plaintiffs have sufficiently reliable evidence about the link between talcum powder and cancer to proceed to trial under federal rules, it is expected that a small group of “bellwether” cases will be set for trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. However, unless the parties are able to negotiate additional talcum powder settlements or otherwise resolve the litigation, it is expected that large numbers of cases will eventually be remanded back to different federal district courts for individual trial dates in the future.
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3 Comments
KarenSeptember 19, 2023 at 10:03 pm
I had a hysterectomy at 44 for 15 years I blead out it was difficult to have a relationship it was difficult to work it ruined my life! I used johnson and Johnson shower to shower Every single day from the time I was 13 till I was probably 40 I worked in the convention business. I had to wear a skirt and nylons every day It was supposed to keep me dry, and all it did was ruin my insides! I was nev[Show More]I had a hysterectomy at 44 for 15 years I blead out it was difficult to have a relationship it was difficult to work it ruined my life! I used johnson and Johnson shower to shower Every single day from the time I was 13 till I was probably 40 I worked in the convention business. I had to wear a skirt and nylons every day It was supposed to keep me dry, and all it did was ruin my insides! I was never able to conceive I could barely get through a workday without bleeding to death. My red blood level was a 3.5 when I wound up in the emergency room Every day after that, I was at Cook County hospital at least once a week getting shots to stop the bleeding and wound up having to have a full hysterectomy at 44 years old! It’s up to you and many tests, including biopsies To see that the lining of my uterus was cancer ridden What is my ovaries was completely dry rotted and destroyed. I am not a person to sue anybody but I want compensation this ruined the most important years of my life please help!
VickyJuly 19, 2020 at 6:59 am
My name is Vicky. I am 49 years old. I suffer from hyperhidrosis. I would sweat so bad my hands and feet would drip with sweat. I would use baby powder on my genital area to help try and keep me dry. I was probably 14 or 15 when I had a sympathectomy to get rid of the sweating. It helped with my hands and feet but the rest of my body still sweats way more then normal. I met my husband when I was 1[Show More]My name is Vicky. I am 49 years old. I suffer from hyperhidrosis. I would sweat so bad my hands and feet would drip with sweat. I would use baby powder on my genital area to help try and keep me dry. I was probably 14 or 15 when I had a sympathectomy to get rid of the sweating. It helped with my hands and feet but the rest of my body still sweats way more then normal. I met my husband when I was 19 we later married but I never got pregnant. My periods were very painful. I would get so sick and be in so much pain I would lay in the fetal position and just pray for it to stop hurting. My Gynecologist put me on birth control. I had to stop taking it because I ended having 2 periods in one month. I can’t go through that twice a month. I literally got to the point where I felt like I had the flu 24/7. At the age of 29 my doctor set me up for a Ultra sound. I thought I had drank plenty of water because I was about to pee my pants. I hadn’t. So they made me go pee and did a vaginal ultra sound instead. They saw I had fibroid tumors but I was told it was normal. A lot of woman have them. So my doctor scheduled me a laparoscopy to lazer off endometriosis. When I woke up from surgery I was told they was unable to do anything. They took images and sewed me back up. My fibroid tumors were so bad he was unable to get from my cervix to my uterus. If he had tried to lazer off endometriosis and hit a fibroid tumor I would have hemorrhaged. My doctor set up a appointment for me to come to the office to discuss my options. My doctor called in a therapist to meet with us also since I had never had any children. My doctor explained to me how bad the fibroid tumors were. I had one the size of a softball on the back of my uterus which gave me the feeling like I had to all the time. My doctor said for the first time in his career he was unable to go from the cervix to the uterus because the fibroid tumors were so bad. He explained that he could try and shrink them but I would never get them small enough to be able to have children. My doctor told me that I would need to have a hysterectomy. I feel my use of baby powder contributed to the above statement. I thought it was safe and I was desperate to control sweating so it didn’t look like I peed my pants. I hope you consider me for this law suit. I still struggle everyday with not being able to have children.
RoseannMarch 2, 2020 at 7:09 am
I had used ONLY Johnson's baby powder all of my life. I was born in 1959 and in 2010 I all of a sudden started having excessive blood flow during my menstrual periods. My doctor ordered a D&C at which time he tested me for cancer. He said that he found what is called A-typical Cells. This being the predecessor for cancer, he believed my best route at that time was a full and complete hysterect[Show More]I had used ONLY Johnson's baby powder all of my life. I was born in 1959 and in 2010 I all of a sudden started having excessive blood flow during my menstrual periods. My doctor ordered a D&C at which time he tested me for cancer. He said that he found what is called A-typical Cells. This being the predecessor for cancer, he believed my best route at that time was a full and complete hysterectomy. Nothing like that runs in my family, and now that I've been privy to this information that was never released about Johnson's? Now it all makes sense. I used their powder on such a daily basis, we would joke about me being likened to Pig-Pen from the "Peanuts" cartoon. I used it after a shower daily and also when I persperated and day, night, and anytime I felt the need in between for genital hygiene. So, now? I'm pissed! That was an extremely difficult time for me, and I have scars I shouldn't have possibly just because they did not devulge the warnings of it could cause?? Im ready to pursue this.