Johnson & Johnson Facing Thousands of Product Liability Lawsuits, Massive Judgments
Medical device, home care, and pharmaceutical maker Johnson & Johnson is facing thousands of lawsuits around the country based on alleged defects across several of their product lines. If you have experienced any adverse side effects after using any Johnson & Johnson product, you may have legal recourse. Learn below about the allegations against Johnson & Johnson, and reach out to a skilled Lancaster product liability lawyer if you or a loved one has been injured by a defective product in the Antelope Valley.
J&J pays $600 million in opioid judgment
This August, Johnson & Johnson was hit with a $572 million judgment in Oklahoma based on the company’s alleged aggressive and deceptive marketing of opioids. Attorneys for the state of Oklahoma brought the case against the pharma company, tying J&J’s marketing to the more than 6,000 people in the state who have died as a result of opioids. J&J has been called a “kingpin” of the opioid crisis that has infected the country in recent years.
J&J settles metal-hip lawsuit
Earlier this year, in May, J&J settled a class-action lawsuit brought by patients who were implanted with J&J’s metal Pinnacle hip implants. The plaintiffs alleged that J&J deceptively failed to disclose the devices’ health risks and durability problems, such that many patients ultimately had to have the devices removed, causing additional cost, pain and suffering, and disability. Some plaintiffs also alleged that they suffered from metal poisoning as a result of the devices.
J&J had previously paid a settlement for claims brought by 46 state attorneys general for alleged deceptive marketing claims about the hips’ durability. Many individual lawsuits against J&J based on variations of the hip implant not covered by the class action are still pending.
Baby powder products lead to cancer, J&J pays massive judgment
Last July, a Missouri court ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay billions in compensatory and punitive damages to 22 women and their families based on allegations that the company’s talcum powder products caused them to develop ovarian cancer. Many of Johnson’s talc-based baby powder products are said to include asbestos, which carries severe cancer risks. The plaintiffs allege that J&J was aware of the presence of asbestos and the cancer risk but did not disclose the risks to consumers.
Six of the women who brought the lawsuit had died by the time of the judgment, while the rest were undergoing treatment for cancer. J&J maintains that the research linking talc to cancer is inconclusive. J&J has faced many large lawsuits based on its talc baby powder products, including a multi-million dollar verdict reached by a Los Angeles jury in 2017. That verdict was ultimately overturned and a new trial granted.
Get Legal Help After a Defective Product Injury
If you have been hurt by a defective product in the Antelope Valley, contact a seasoned and talented Lancaster personal injury attorney about pursuing a claim for damages by calling the Kistler Law Firm at 661-206-6990 for a free consultation.
