The justice system spoke clearly and by name. A jury in the Los Angeles Superior Court condemned Johnson & Johnson to pay 40 million dollars to two women who developed ovarian cancer after using the multinational's baby talc for decades. According to The Guardian, the court determined that the company knew for years about the risks associated with its talc-based products but failed to warn consumers clearly and honestly, especially women who trusted a brand that for generations has been synonymous with care and safety. The affected women are Monica Kent and Deborah Schultz, both residents of California. And although justice came late, for many victims it represents at least an acknowledgment of the pain they endured.
It was not just a medical battle, but an emotional and family struggle with consequences that no check can erase. The ruling also sheds light on a bigger problem. Johnson & Johnson currently faces more than 67,000 similar lawsuits in the United States, all related to talc products and potential links to cancer. Nevertheless, the company insists that its products are safe and has already announced that it will immediately appeal the court's decision. While the company defends itself in court, this verdict sends a strong message: when a brand plays with people's trust, the damage is not only legal, it is human.
Kent will receive 18 million dollars, while Schultz and her husband were compensated with 22 million. Their stories, told to the jury, were compelling: they used the talc after bathing for nearly 40 years, until their lives took a brutal turn with the diagnoses in 2014 and 2018. Behind the numbers lies real suffering. Invasive surgeries, prolonged treatments, and multiple cycles of chemotherapy marked their daily lives.
