>

There have always been warnings about not breathing in talc and their product information database lists it as hazardous to inhale. The cancers they are denying are cervical, not respiratory.
Full text:    

A federal appeals court rejected Johnson & Johnson‘s plan to use a legal strategy to push about 38,000 talc lawsuits into bankruptcy court, hampering the controversial tactic the company and a handful of other profitable businesses have used to move mass personal-injury cases to chapter 11.   
 
The Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday dismissed the chapter 11 case of J&J subsidiary LTL Management LLC, which the consumer-health-goods giant created in 2021 to move to bankruptcy court the mass lawsuits alleging its talc-based baby powder products caused cancer.   
 
The unanimous ruling was a rebuke to an emerging corporate restructuring strategy in which companies facing mass tort litigation invoke a Texas law to create a new subsidiary with minimal business operations and make it responsible for tort liabilities before putting that subsidiary in bankruptcy.   
 
A J&J representative didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. The company has denied that its talc products are unsafe and said resolving the tort claims in a chapter 11 plan was more efficient and fair for injury claimants than litigating or settling each claim one by one. >

So they know what they did? They know how they did it? They know who was involved and what “company” it’s now under…. 
Fuck these stupid assholes. Collectively. I’m sure individually someone has a red flag they’re waving, but collectively? If the company is to survive, are you gonna be the one to press the big red button? 
Because we all know, all of it. I live and work with J&J people. It’s wild what they did - but they got away with it! Signaling to other companies, that if you sell a harmful product, then you’re fine as long as you launder the lawsuits through your subsidiaries!
This should be illegal, and why it’s not speaks to how fucked up our system is and how frustrating it is to be an American citizen, Watch this happen, and think to myself “well… I guess they always win huh.” >

The product likely isn't harmful.  You don't need to worry too much about it.  A ton of follow-up studies have been done on it.  The evidence of it causing cancer isn't great.  Don't feel bad for them though, they've likely used their money to dodge lawsuits that actually deserved to lose in the past.  If you want to be a multi-billion dollar company you better be willing to deal with the risks of the business. >

Uhh, you are aware of what the lawsuit was about right?  It was about ovarian cancer. Did you read the article above?   If this case were about breathing in small particles, the makers of Fun Dip would be fucked too. This case is about very specific medical claims.  I don't feel sympathy for J&J, but I'm not going to pretend that a jury gets to have the final word on science.  I can laugh at them for getting fucked over and read about the evidence at the same time. It's not a binary choice here. >

I did you said there was no cancer risk, if it causes cancer in the lungs it’s not a huge leap to it’s carcinogenic and therefore causes cancer… >


if it causes cancer in the lungs it’s not a huge leap to it’s carcinogenic and therefore causes cancer…

It's a massive leap to say that. There is a ton of evidence about small particles getting trapped in the lungs leading to cellular damage.  That causes the cells in the lungs to mutate into cancer. Ovaries don't function the same way your lungs do.   It's why not using sunscreen puts you at risk for skin cancer and not pancreatic cancer. Different cancers have different causes. >

Yeah and asbestos in you talc will cause cancer, get a clue. >

A "wow, thanks for explaining basic things about cancer to me" would have been nice too. Take care, Dunning-Kruger. >

Wtf are you on about peanut? >

Is this the "Texas Two-Step"? I'm versed enough in bankruptcy law to have heard the term, but not enough to know what it is. >

I believe it is, but the appeals court tripped them. >

Goddamn wankers... and this is thanks to one state law dodge?
The mind boggles. >

Yes, and they aren't the first to try it, by any means. The asbestos companies did it successfully. To my knowledge, they are the first ones to try it and have it be publicly slapped down though. >

Yeah, we in Australia only had one huge asbestos co. In the '90s, James Hardie set up an underfunded  compensation fund and re-incorporated in The Netherlands. >

Yeah, what is up with your mineral companies in general. It very much seems to harken back to the empire and the scramble for Africa wherein countries grabbed huge chunk of "empty" (as in empty of white Europeans) land, then handed out charters to businessmen to exploit huge parts and sectors of it. The most well known one is the Congo, but I think South Africa and Australia were essentially settled under similar systems (albeit with a bonded labor force in large parts of Australia). >

Mining didn't come in until much, much later. Australia was built off the sheep's back, it's said, forgetting about the genocides and land theft as colonisers always do.
The scramble is ongoing, here and elsewhere, with Aussie mining companies fighting, in courts or with mercenaries, local people from West Australia to DRC to get their big holes dug. >

If the world ever goes full Mad Max though, you can stock up on guns, ammo, food, and water, and Coober Pedy will make a great trading post. >

I have heard that this is something that those "Get out of your timeshare" companies will do. They will create a shell company, sell your timeshare to the shell company, and then the shell company informs the resort that it is going bankrupt and wont be paying the fees anymore. Sue the shell company all you want but it's entire assets are some sheets of paper and staples holding them all together. >

At least in that case the timeshare company can repossess the real estate and sell it again. Talc victims would just get straight screwed. >

I'm not an expert on corporate shell company. But on the surface, this sounds a lot like the Sovereign Citizen 'federal personage' nonsense. Whereby they think they can shift the burdens and debt to this federal citizen and are liberated by being their own sovereign citizen. Either way. Good for the appeals court. I hope Alex Jones bankruptcy has the same fate. >

The asbestos industry did this successfully, so I definitely think it is good that such tactics are getting higher amounts of scrutiny. >

The weird part is that if you look at actual studies, talc being a link to cancer is very mixed. I am by no means a fan of J&J but it does look like fear-mongering away from talc - at least from a scientific standpoint. >

This is why we need new laws that hold executives PERSONALLY liable for cases like this where they knowingly caused harm.  I understand sometimes companies didn't realize until it was too late-- thats a different story.  But in this case, like many others, these fuckwads KNEW.
There should be no bankruptcy. Their personal assets should be liquidated immediately to pay judgements. >

They tried the Alex Jones Gambit, and lost.
...
I know he didn't invent doing this, but it is fun attributing this shitty tactic to such a shitty person. >

Thank glob. Shut those bozos down for real. >

Even if none of its talc products contained asbestos, you still should not be inhaling particulates that fine of any kind. It's not safe and J&J certainly knew that, but continued marketing it to consumers, and maintains that it's a safe product.
Keep in mind that Johnson & Johnson is not just a company that makes baby shampoo and talcum powder. It is a major pharmaceutical company. It certainly understands and has access to research about, you know, lungs.