Talc Mining Companies File For Bankruptcy Protection From Talcum Powder Cancer Claims

Companies that supplied talc for popular brands have folded and filed for protection from legal liabilities

Thursday, April 27, 2023 - A third major talc supplier has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after crumpling under the weight of thousands of talcum powder cancer lawsuits. US News.com reports " Defunct talc supplier Whittaker, Clark & Daniels has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, citing on Thursday a "deluge" of lawsuits alleging that its talc products caused asbestos exposure and cancer." The company told the bankruptcy court that it owes more than one billion dollars to creditors as a result of having to pay jury awards to talcum powder cancer victims.

The most recent legal blow for Whittaker, Clark & Daniels came from Sarah Plant, a 35-year-old woman with malignant mesothelioma allegedly caused by using talcum powder products laced with asbestos, a known carcinogen. In March of 2023, a jury in South Carolina awarded the woman $29 million for the injuries she sustained from using products that contained the company's talc. Other defendants in the trial included "Johnson & Johnson, Avon, Mary Kay Cosmetics, and makeup pigment maker Color Techniques as defendants, as well as talc manufacturer IMI Fabi and talc supplier Whittaker, Clark & Daniels," according to Mesothelioma.net. Several of the other defendants reached an undisclosed settlement with the plaintiff. Johnson & Johnson was able to avoid the liability due to its spinning off its talc liabilities into a separate unit and filing for bankruptcy. By the end of the trial only Whittaker, Clark & Daniels remained and bore the full brunt of the liability. The judge in the case appointed a receiver to ensure the $29 million is paid. Before that, a California jury awarded Willie McNeil $4.8 million for developing mesothelioma from using the iconic Old Spice talcum powder. "(McNeill) was diagnosed with mesothelioma, caused in part by his use of Old Spice talcum powder for many years, ending in 1980. The defendant was the supplier of the talc in Old Spice that contained asbestos fibers," according to CaseText.com

Other talc suppliers that have filed for bankruptcy in recent years include Imerys Inc., which placed its North American subsidiary into bankruptcy, liquidated its assets by selling the subsidiary and placing the proceeds into a trust to pay its talcum powder ovarian cancer and mesothelioma claims. Imerys was the talc supplier to Johnson & Johnson which manufactured and sold Johnson's Baby Powder to millions of American mothers for more than half a century and was named as a co-defendant in hundreds of talcum powder mesothelioma and ovarian cancer lawsuits. "The Reorganization Plan will apply to Imerys Talc America, Imerys Talc Vermont, and Imerys Talc Canada, which filed for bankruptcy last year, and -- since being named in new US lawsuits -- Imerys Talc Italy. Upon US court approval, proceeds of the sale will be channeled into an independent trust to compensate claimants and in return, Imerys will be released from all existing and future talc-related liabilities from its subsidiaries' operations, CosmeticsBusiness.com reported.

Information provided by TalcumPowderCancerLawsuit.com, a website devoted to providing news about talcum powder ovarian cancer lawsuits, as well as medical research and findings.