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Augusta, GA— Openings are scheduled to begin Monday at trial over whether Johnson & Johnson’s cosmetic talc products are responsible for a Georgia woman’s cancer death, in one of the state’s first talc cases to go before a jury. Monroe v. Johnson & Johnson, et al.
According to the complaint filed in the case, Margie Evans died in 2018, about a year-and-a-half after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Her daughter, Charvette Monroe, contends that Evans’ use of J&J talc products across more than half-a-century caused her cancer.
J&J denies any link between its talc products and Evans’ death.
The case is among Georgia's first cosmetic talc suits to go to trial. In 2019, Fulton County State Court jurors deadlocked over whether J&J’s talc products caused Diane Brower’s ovarian cancer death, the first case in the state to go before a jury.
Cosmetic talc claims typically allege that fibers in the powder cause either mesothelioma or ovarian cancer. Monroe will be among the first state court trials over talc's alleged links to ovarian cancer since pandemic-related court shutdowns last year. Yesterday, in St. Louis, jurors heard openings in the country's first state court cancer trial against J&J since the pandemic closed jury boxes in 2020.
According to court documents, attorneys from the Barnes Law Group and the Cheeley Law Group represent Monroe, while Shook Hardy & Bacon attorneys lead J&J’s defense. Attorneys from Hull Barrett and from Tucker Ellis represent PTI Royston, a powder packager for J&J’s products.
Richmond County State Court Judge Patricia Booker will preside over the proceedings.
Monday’s openings are slated to begin following reports that J&J is considering consolidating their talc liabilities into a new business entity and then seeking bankruptcy protection for that unit.
CVN will cover the Monroe trial live and gavel-to-gavel.
Email Arlin Crisco at acrisco@cvn.com.
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