Supreme Court rejects J&J’s appeal of $2B talcum powder cancer verdict

The US Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to hear Johnson & Johnson’s bid to overturn a $2.1 billion verdict against it in favor of women who said the company’s talc products contain asbestos and can cause ovarian cancer.

Without comment, the justices turned away J&J’s appeal, leaving in place a Missouri state court ruling that favored women who blamed their ovarian cancer on the company’s talc-based products like baby powder.  The lawsuit is one of many filed on behalf of thousands of women who claim J&J’s talc-based products like baby powder contributed to their ovarian cancer. Other suits have claimed that the products caused mesothelioma.