Johnson & Johnson faces at least 18 jury trials over the next year tied to claims of tainted talc in its iconic baby powder, prompting the company to consider a third bankruptcy filing in hopes of fostering a global settlement, Bloomberg News reported. J&J has talc cases set for trial everywhere from Pennsylvania to California between November and December 2024, some of which involve consolidated claims by more than a half-dozen plaintiffs, according to their lawyers. Those trials were scheduled after a judge in July threw out a J&J unit’s latest chapter 11 case aimed at resolving all current and future talc claims. Since 2016, J&J has been hit with at least $570 million in damage awards over talc-related cancer claims and paid out at least $2.5 billion in settlements, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
