A New Jersey judge overseeing all the federal talc litigation said in a Sept. 6 court hearing that more than 11,000 new complaints have been filed, according to a court transcript. J&J had sought to resolve at least 40,000 talc suits for about $9 billion through the bankruptcy of its LTL Management unit, which was created to end health claims tied to talc allegedly tainted with a toxic substance. But a bankruptcy judge threw the case out July 28.
J&J said it wasn’t surprised by the jump in lawsuits, because new ones weren’t permitted once LTL began bankruptcy proceedings in 2021. “Following the bankruptcy dismissal, we fully anticipated plaintiff lawyers would immediately file the cases they had been collecting since 2021,” the company said in an emailed statement. “Johnson & Johnson and LTL are prepared to return to the tort system and vigorously defend the Company in talc-related cases.
After the US Supreme Court refused to take J&J’s appeal of the award — which was reduced to $2.1 billion — the company ultimately paid the 20 women in the case. J&J has faced numerous talc trials over the past decade, winning some, losing others and settling some claims.