Our court system was established over one thousand years ago to ensure that all people are treated equally under the law and that all persons have a fair trial by a jury of their peers to determine their fate.
Sadly, the media today plays a role in how courts operate. Johnson & Johnson has filed twice for bankruptcy in the lawsuits related to allegations that its talcum powder caused ovarian cancer in women, and twice the bankruptcy filings have been dismissed. Now, while threatening a third bankruptcy action, the pharmaceutical giant, worth over $380B, is advertising that it will push forward with a $6.5B settlement of these talc cases. It is all over the news and captivates viewers because the word “billions” is involved. But the reality is that with so many injured women and so many costs, because the litigation was strung out during the pendency of these bankruptcy proceedings, each injured woman will receive approximately $50,000 or less, far below what they deserve given the harm they experienced and the medical costs they incurred.
Can a company be allowed to put its thumb on litigation this way? Women who don’t understand what it means to them will push their lawyers to settle, even though it’s not their best financial option. But if plaintiffs’ lawyers advertise the unfairness of the settlement, inevitable stories will point to lawyers’ greed, rather than to these injured women.
When will our society not bow down to corporate greed? When will we not allow billion-dollar companies to push around common people? It’s not right to give someone ovarian cancer knowingly and then say, “Oh well.” But Johnson & Johnson did it to hundreds of thousands of women.
Anapol Weiss is standing up to corporate giants like Johnson & Johnson and will continue to fight until our clients get fair value. We will try each of our client’s cases if that is what is required to force Johnson & Johnson to pay these women what they are owed.
