Months after Johnson & Johnson proposed a $5.5 billion resolution of 76,000 ovarian cancer lawsuits in the United States, mesothelioma and ovarian cancer claims against the company are spreading to British courtrooms. The July offer came with no admission of liability, as J&J continues to insist the allegations rest on “junk science,” but the proposal has not ended the company’s legal exposure abroad.
Mesothelioma Claims Advance in England and Scotland
Mesothelioma and ovarian cancer are both at issue in group litigation now underway in the UK. The country has one of the highest mesothelioma rates in the world. In England and Wales, about 1,000 people, mostly women, are registered as claimants, with several thousand more under review. The case opened in the High Court in April, and in July a judge scheduled a February 2028 hearing to decide whether J&J’s talc was contaminated with asbestos and whether it could cause ovarian cancer or mesothelioma. In Scotland, where roughly 130 to 140 claimants have registered, a judge allowed the cases to proceed as a group, and a preliminary hearing at the Court of Session is set for December.
Mesothelioma plaintiffs in Britain will face judges rather than juries. Kenvue, the consumer health business J&J spun off in 2023, retained liability for talc litigation outside the US and Canada and is a co-defendant with J&J in both actions.
Mesothelioma Evidence and J&J’s Defense
Mesothelioma and ovarian cancer claims against the company both hinge on whether talc mined near asbestos deposits was contaminated. Laboratory reports from 1957 and 1958 noted fibrous tremolite, a recognized form of asbestos, in talc from J&J’s Italian supplier, and a 1967 internal document appears to show trace tremolite in Vermont talc. J&J has argued that those minerals have been wrongly characterized as asbestos, that the Vermont talc in question was not used in its baby powder product, and that decades of testing found no asbestos in its products.
Despite these arguments, mesothelioma patients and families affected by asbestos-related diseases note that J&J withdrew talc-based products from US and Canadian shelves in 2020 and from the UK in 2023, and that three bankruptcy attempts aimed at resolving the claims failed in US courts. Whether British courts find a link between its talc and cancer remains to be seen.
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with mesothelioma or ovarian cancer, the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net can help. Contact us today at 1-800-692-8608 to learn more.
