Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) is being forced to pay $110 million in the latest baby powder case against it.
This baby powder case comes from Lois Slemp, a 62-year-old woman from Virginia. Slemp claims that she developed ovarian cancer after using Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder for years. She also claims to have used the company’s Shower to Shower Powder.
The Missouri court has ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay Slemp $5.4 million in compensatory damages and $105 million in punitive damages. JNJ says that it sympathizes with Slemp, but says that it will be appealing the verdict.
Slemp is currently going through chemotherapy. She first suffered from ovarian cancer in 2012 and it went into remission. However, now it has returned and is spreading to her liver. Her’s is only one of about 2,400 lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson over its talcum powder products, reports BBC News.
This isn’t the first time that Johnson & Johnson has lost a court case over its baby powder. The first one occurred early last year when the family of a woman that died from ovarian cancer sued the company. They were awarded $72 million in that case.
The next case to hit Johnson & Johnson was from a woman named Gloria Ristesund, whose cancer is in remission. She won $55 million from the company in her lawsuit. This happened in mid-2016.
Johnson & Johnson was also ordered to pay $70 million in another case concerning its talcum power products. However, despite these four losses, the company is still arguing that there is no connection between its baby powder products and cancer.
JNJ stock was down slightly as of noon Friday.
