Thousands of plaintiffs who say that Johnson & Johnson’s 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 ruling yesterday by a New Jersey judge, Reuters reported. 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 Judge Wolfson. The New Brunswick, New Jersey-based company denies that its talc causes cancer, saying numerous studies and tests by regulators worldwide have shown its talc to be safe and asbestos-free. The ruling by Judge Wolfson will allow plaintiffs to present expert testimony that J&J’s talc products can cause cancer based on epidemiological studies. They will be allowed to testify that the link could be caused by contamination with asbestos and heavy metals.
