Johnson & Johnson faces first UK lawsuits alleging its baby powder caused cancer

Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is facing its first lawsuits in the United Kingdom over claims that its talc-based products cause cancer, as it continues to battle tens of thousands of similar cases in the United States.

The case was filed at the English High Court on Tuesday against J&J and Kenvue UK Limited, a subsidiary of Kenvue, J&J’s former consumer health division, which was spun off in 2023.

Law firm KP Law said it had brought the claim on behalf of more than 3,000 people who allege they developed ovarian cancer, mesothelioma, or other illnesses after using J&J’s baby powder between 1965 and 2023.

The firm argues that J&J’s talc products contained carcinogenic fibres, including asbestos, which has been linked to mesothelioma. J&J has consistently denied these allegations, insisting its talc products are safe and asbestos-free.

J&J referred all queries to Kenvue, stating that the latter “retained responsibility and any potential liability for talc-related litigation outside the United States and Canada.” Kenvue, for its part, maintained that J&J’s baby powder “did not contain asbestos and does not cause cancer.”

The company is already facing tens of thousands of lawsuits in the U.S., where claimants say they developed cancer after using J&J’s talc-based products. J&J halted sales of its talc baby powder in the U.S. in 2020, replacing it with a cornstarch-based alternative, and did the same in the U.K. in 2023.

Its attempts to resolve the lawsuits through bankruptcy have been rejected three times by U.S. federal courts. Last week, J&J was ordered to pay $966 million to the family of a woman who died from mesothelioma, one of the largest awards against the company, though it may be reduced on appeal.

While U.S. courts can issue large punitive damages, English courts generally limit compensation to actual losses suffered, with exemplary damages only awarded in rare cases of deliberate wrongdoing.

KP Law valued the collective claim at around £1 billion ($1.34 billion). Unlike in the U.S., the case will be decided by a judge rather than a jury. Kenvue said it believes the judge will conclude that its talc-based baby powder does not cause cancer.

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