The possible link between Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder and ovarian cancer has been the subject of numerous health studies, news articles, and more than 14,000 lawsuits. When presented with the cold, hard facts of these cases, juries have awarded injured parties with over $4 billion in damages. These landmark civil lawsuits have helped bring awareness of the alleged cancer risks of talcum powder – not only to the general public, but to the federal government – as Bloomberg is reporting that the U.S. Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into whether Johnson & Johnson lied to the public about the safety of its talcum powder.
News that Johnson & Johnson had been subpoenaed regarding a talcum powder probe broke In February 2019, but the details beyond that were purely speculative. Since then, new facts about the investigation have come to light. It’s being reported that a grand jury in Washington has been impaneled to review documents about whether Johnson & Johnson knew its talcum powder products, including its best-selling baby powder, contained carcinogenic asbestos. It’s been speculated that the grand jury is investigating whether Johnson & Johnson’s public statements about the safety of its talc products amount to fraud.
“Since J&J is a public company, they are probably looking at whether their statements amounted to fraudulent statements to consumers and regulators,” said former federal prosecutor Henry Klingeman in an interview. “I’d also think they’d be looking at whether they violated securities-fraud laws.”
The Justice Department did not respond to requests for comments on the investigation.
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