Johnson and Johnson reattempts to Halt 38,000 Cancer Lawsuits against its products

New Delhi (India), 19th April 2023: A Johnson & Johnson subsidiary is once more requesting that a U.S. judge halt the tens of thousands of lawsuits that have been filed against the company, alleging that its talcum powder and other products cause cancer.

This request comes after a federal appeals court ruled that the company’s initial attempt to settle the lawsuits in bankruptcy was improper.

LTL Management will argue that J&J, which has a market value of over $430 billion and has not yet declared bankruptcy itself, should also be protected by the so-called “automatic stay” under bankruptcy law, which prevents lawsuits against it from moving forward while it is in Chapter 11 proceedings. The hearing will take place in Trenton, New Jersey.

The company’s request for a stay has been contested by two groups of cancer plaintiffs and the U.S. Department of Justice’s bankruptcy watchdog, who claim the move is a ruse to get out of the earlier court order and that the second bankruptcy has “slim to nonexistent prospects” of being successful.

Since LTL initially declared bankruptcy in 2021, more than 38,000 talc cases have been put on hold, however, cancer patients contend that they should be permitted to continue their lawsuits after a federal appeals court rejected the company’s attempt to dump the litigation in bankruptcy.

J&J has made a $8.9 billion settlement offer, but it has not specified how much would go to each claimant as part of the agreement. The business claims that its talc products, including baby powder, are safe and do not cause cancer.