Johnson and Johnson Talculm Powder, Ovarian Cancer and Mesothelioma
Johnson & Johnson continues to defend their baby talculm powder as safe, however, juries across the country have decided differently, including a landmark verdict of over $4 billion in one case. Internal documents show that executives were concerned about the presence of cancer-causing asbestos in their products for decades. In addition to ovarian cancer, the exposure to Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder has also included the development of mesothelioma. The New York Times “The Weekly” had an excellent piece on the product and litigation Sunday night. See it here.
JUUL Ecigs and Vaping
Juul Ecigs and the now more than 1,000 lung related diseases believed to be causally connected to inhaling the vapors, are swelling with lawsuit having been filed across the country. The multitude of lawsuits has triggered the JPML to consolidate all federal cases before the Honorable William Orrick in the Northern District of California (San Francisco) ordered this past week. As of the writing of this post, 18 deaths believed to be caused by vaping, have been reported to the CDC. See more here.
MGM to Resolve Shooting Victims Cases
As many law firms passed on the MGM shooting litigation believing there to be no liability on the part of the hotel, we believed otherwise especially after we learned that the shooter had exclusive access to the back elevator. Last week, MGM agreed to pay up to $800 million to victims of the Las Vegas Shooting Massacre. Read more here.
Opiod Litigation Update
The largest civil case in history is set for October 21st before the Honorable Daniel Polster in US District Court in Cleveland, Ohio. There jurors will have the chance to decide if various manufacturers and distributors of opioids are responsible for the public health epidemic that has gripped the nation. Last week, Johnson & Johnson and Mallinckrodt both settled with the two Ohio Counties leaving the distributors and Teva Pharmaceuticals as the lone defendants. Plaintiffs disclosed 65 witnesses and more than 4,000 trial exhibits.
Wyoming Health Watch – Opening a Vape Starter Kit
Last week, we opened for the first time a Juul Vape Starter kit so we could understand what kids would see when they did the same. We learned a lot more than we thought we would. If you are a parent with kids at or near vaping exposure age, you wont want to miss this video. We will post it on LinkedIn this week and also include it in next week’s Week-In-Review.
