A group of cancer victims blaming Johnson & Johnson’s talc-based baby powder for the disease asked a Missouri court to block the company from taking steps to place its talc liabilities into chapter 11, while a bankruptcy judge in Delaware expressed doubts about a nearly identical request pending there, WSJ Pro Bankruptcy reported. Personal-injury claimants asked the Missouri court yesterday for an injunction preventing J&J from splitting its core assets from its liabilities to tens of thousands of individuals who allege they developed ovarian cancer, asbestos cancer and other diseases after exposure to the company’s talc-based baby powder. J&J declined to comment on the Missouri request, which escalates a confrontation between injury claimants and the company about its intentions for dealing with roughly 34,600 lawsuits pending against it as of June alleging personal injuries from talc. Also on Tuesday, a bankruptcy judge in Wilmington, Del. deferred ruling on a separate request by other injury claimants to pre-empt J&J from separating its talc liabilities from its core business, a potential first step toward moving thousands of injury claims into chapter 11.
