Johnson & Johnson ordered to pay woman $110.5M in baby powder suit

A St. Louis jury has awarded a Virginia woman a record $110.5 million in the latest lawsuit alleging that using Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder caused cancer.

The jury ruling Thursday night for 62-year-old Lois Slemp, of Wise, Virginia, comes after three St. Louis juries awarded a total of $197 million to plaintiffs who made similar claims. Those cases, including the previous highest award of $72 million, are all under appeal. About 2,000 state and federal lawsuits are in courts across the country over concerns about health problems caused by prolonged talcum powder use.

Slemp, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2012, blames her illness on the company’s products with talcum for more than 40 years. Her cancer spread to her liver. Although she was too ill to attend the trial, an audiotape of her deposition testimony was played. She said: “I trusted Johnson & Johnson. Big mistake.”

Jim Onder, one of her attorneys, said Friday that Slemp was “thrilled” when the verdict was shared with her and that she hoped it would “send a message.” He said she is too sick to talk to reporters.

Johnson & Johnson, based in Brunswick, New Jersey, said in a statement that it would appeal and it disputed the plaintiff ’s scientific evidence. The company also noted that a St. Louis jury found in its favor in March and that two cases in New Jersey were thrown out by a judge who said there wasn’t reliable evidence that talc leads to ovarian cancer.