Talc Powder
A woman sprays a man with baby powder as they celebrate Holi in Queens, New York March 7, 2010. Phagwa, or Holi, the Hindu Festival of Colours celebrates the beginning of spring. Reuters/Jessica Rinaldi

It was second straight court loss for multinational Johnson & Johnson when a Missouri court ordered the talc powder maker on Monday to pay $55 million (AUD$71.6 million) to another ovarian cancer patient. It was quick decision as the trial on the lawsuit filed by Gloria Ristesund of South Dakota started on April 11.

The award is broken down into $5 million (AUD$6.5 million) compensatory damages and $50 million (AUD$65 million) punitive damages. In February, Johnson & Johnson suffered its first, in about 1,200 lawsuits, court loss when a jury ordered the company to pay the family of Alabama resident Jacqueline Fox $72 million (AUD$100 million).

Like Fox, Ristesund used Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower Powder on her genitals for decades. She was eventually diagnosed with ovarian cancer and went through a hysterectomy and other surgeries, although her cancer is in remission, Reuters reports. Surgeons found talc in Ristesund’s ovarian tissue after the hysterectomy, according to Bloomberg.

As expected, Johnson & Johnson said it would appeal the court’s decision and insisted the decision contradicts three decades of research that say cosmetic talc is safe, says Carol Goodrich, spokeswoman of Johnson & Johnson.

Christy Jones, lawyer of the company, insists that the patient was at risk for ovarian cancer since her family has a history of cancer, she had endometriosis and had no children. Jones points out, “Nobody knows what causes ovarian cancer.”

On news of Johnson & Johnson’s second court loss, shares of the company dipped 18 cents to $112.57 (AUD$146.65) in after-hours trading.

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