Johnson & Johnson is set to pay over $100 million in settlements to cover 1,000 lawsuits alleging its baby powders caused cancer, Bloomberg reported.
Consumers have filed nearly 20,000 suits against Johnson & Johnson saying its talc products cause cancer because they are contaminated by asbestos, according to Bloomberg. The company says its products are safe.
“In certain circumstances, we do choose to settle lawsuits, which is done without an admission of liability and in no way changes our position regarding the safety of our products,” the company told Bloomberg in a statement. “Our talc is safe, does not contain asbestos and does not cause cancer,”
Johnson & Johnson has agreed to pay more than $100 million to resolve over 1,000 lawsuits blaming its baby powder for causing cancer https://t.co/g1UKV7yISO
— Bloomberg (@business) October 5, 2020
Johnson & Johnson said in May that due to “misinformation” it would quit selling talc, according to Reuters. (RELATED: Johnson & Johnson Will End Sales Of Talc-Based Baby Powder In North America After Facing Thousands Of Lawsuits From Cancer Patients)
The lawsuits are a product of an 2018 Reuters investigative piece, which asserted Johnson & Johnson knew that there was asbestos in its talc, Reuters reported.
“Plaintiffs’ attorneys out for personal financial gain are distorting historical documents and intentionally creating confusion in the courtroom and in the media,” Ernie Knewitz, J&J’s vice president of global media relations, told Reuters in an email during its investigation.
“This is all a calculated attempt to distract from the fact that thousands of independent tests prove our talc does not contain asbestos or cause cancer. Any suggestion that Johnson & Johnson knew or hid information about the safety of talc is false.”
The company did not comment on Bloomberg’s report, but said its talc is safe, according to Reuters.