BUSINESS NEWS APRIL 27, 2020 / 3:14 PM / UPDATED 25 MINUTES AGO

U.S. judge rules talc lawsuits against J&J can proceed, testimony limited

Brendan Pierson
3 MIN READ

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Thousands of plaintiffs who say that Johnson & Johnson’s (JNJ.N) baby powder and talc products caused cancer can go forward with their claims, but face limits on what expert testimony will be allowed in trials after a Monday ruling by a New Jersey judge.

J&J faces more than 16,000-talc related lawsuits nationwide, the majority of which are pending before U.S. District Judge Freda Wolfson in New Jersey. The lawsuits allege that the company’s talc products have been contaminated with asbestos and can cause ovarian cancer.

The company had sought to bar all of the plaintiffs’ experts from testifying, which would have effectively wiped out all the cases before Wolfson.

J&J said in a statement that Monday’s decision “is not a determination by the court on the validity of the plaintiffs’ allegations.” It added that all verdicts against the company in talc lawsuits that had gone through the appeals process have been overturned.

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