Bankruptcy Judge Michael Kaplan said yesterday he has received threats related to the bankruptcy of a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary he is overseeing, with some messages suggesting that the case is an effort to "cover up" harms allegedly caused by J&J's talc products, Reuters reported. Judge Kaplan said at a hearing that he and his staff have been getting angry and menacing messages through phone calls, voicemails, emails and social media posts since his February decision not to dismiss the bankruptcy case of LTL Management LLC. J&J created the subsidiary in October, assigned its talc liabilities to it and put it in bankruptcy a few days later, in an attempt to resolve approximately 38,000 lawsuits alleging that its Baby Powder and other talc products caused mesothelioma and ovarian cancer. J&J, which has denied the allegations and said that its products are safe, did not immediately return a request for comment. Judge Kaplan did not say how many threats the court had received or who they were from, but cited a specific tweet from August which called him a "murder cover upper" and included a vague threat that "your day is coming" as an example. The judge said that he admired "the zealous advocacy on emotionally charged issues" from the lawyers on the case, but asked them to "have awareness about the words" they use, cautioning them that overheated rhetoric can invite harassment and undermine the court system. Judge Kaplan pointed to a recent court filing from plaintiffs' attorneys that said the bankruptcy court's jurisdiction is "not for sale," saying it unfairly implied he has personally benefited from LTL's bankruptcy.
