1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,759 Speaker 1: Now we're returning to Johnson and Johnson, which is defending 2 00:00:02,800 --> 00:00:05,720 Speaker 1: itself in more than five thousand suits across the US, 3 00:00:05,800 --> 00:00:09,840 Speaker 1: which blame its iconic baby powder products for causing women 4 00:00:09,920 --> 00:00:14,120 Speaker 1: to develop or varian cancer. And Bloomberg News has exclusively 5 00:00:14,240 --> 00:00:19,159 Speaker 1: learned about some unsealed memos and other documents in the 6 00:00:19,239 --> 00:00:23,360 Speaker 1: case joining US as Bloomberg News legal reporter Jeff Feely, Jeff, 7 00:00:23,480 --> 00:00:28,800 Speaker 1: tell us what you have discovered? Uh, in connection with 8 00:00:28,880 --> 00:00:31,680 Speaker 1: some of the existing cases in state court in St. Louis, 9 00:00:31,720 --> 00:00:35,880 Speaker 1: there were documents on sealed earlier this month that showed 10 00:00:37,000 --> 00:00:40,640 Speaker 1: that Johnson and Johnson News, stretching back to the nineteen seventies, 11 00:00:41,000 --> 00:00:44,080 Speaker 1: that there were trace amounts of asbestos in the talc 12 00:00:44,320 --> 00:00:48,240 Speaker 1: used and it's baby powder and other talcoum powder products. 13 00:00:48,240 --> 00:00:53,840 Speaker 1: The company has consistently maintained and maintained this day that 14 00:00:53,960 --> 00:00:57,720 Speaker 1: there's no asbestos in its baby powder or talk products 15 00:00:57,800 --> 00:01:01,120 Speaker 1: and never has been and never will be. Um this 16 00:01:01,200 --> 00:01:03,480 Speaker 1: could be a problem for j and Jay going forward. 17 00:01:03,560 --> 00:01:06,839 Speaker 1: This opens up a whole new avenue of cases tied 18 00:01:06,880 --> 00:01:11,120 Speaker 1: to the to the tow claims. Well, so, Jeff, what 19 00:01:11,120 --> 00:01:14,520 Speaker 1: what exactly is it? We're going to see happen in court. 20 00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:18,479 Speaker 1: Now with these documents coming out, Well, the Piloffs lawyers 21 00:01:18,480 --> 00:01:20,880 Speaker 1: are going to take these documents and they're gonna have 22 00:01:20,920 --> 00:01:23,679 Speaker 1: to get the judge to sign off on using them 23 00:01:23,720 --> 00:01:26,080 Speaker 1: as evidence, but they're gonna show they're going to use 24 00:01:26,120 --> 00:01:29,480 Speaker 1: them as evidence to basically impeach Johnson and Johnson. When 25 00:01:29,480 --> 00:01:31,639 Speaker 1: they come up and say our baby powder is safe 26 00:01:31,640 --> 00:01:35,440 Speaker 1: and asbestos free, they're gonna pull out these documents. They're 27 00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:38,200 Speaker 1: gonna say, you know, well, didn't you guys know back 28 00:01:38,200 --> 00:01:42,520 Speaker 1: in the nineties seventies that they were your people, internal documents, 29 00:01:42,520 --> 00:01:45,280 Speaker 1: Your own people were talking about trace amounts of asbestos 30 00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:49,160 Speaker 1: in the talcoum powder, used um in your baby powder. 31 00:01:49,200 --> 00:01:52,120 Speaker 1: And I might point out that some of that Talcoulm 32 00:01:52,120 --> 00:01:55,040 Speaker 1: powder comes from minds that J and J you owned, 33 00:01:55,280 --> 00:01:58,200 Speaker 1: not just got, you know, used as vendors. They own 34 00:01:58,280 --> 00:02:02,560 Speaker 1: the minds where the um testing on the talk was 35 00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:05,840 Speaker 1: turning up traces of asbestos. They're going to use that 36 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:08,520 Speaker 1: in hopes of, you know, and hopes of convincing the 37 00:02:08,600 --> 00:02:11,799 Speaker 1: jury that this, you know, the tapam powder is and 38 00:02:11,960 --> 00:02:15,760 Speaker 1: unreasonably dangerous product, and that J and j knew so 39 00:02:15,880 --> 00:02:20,000 Speaker 1: and continued to sell it Jeff about thirty seconds left. 40 00:02:20,560 --> 00:02:22,520 Speaker 1: How has J and J been doing in the in 41 00:02:22,560 --> 00:02:26,880 Speaker 1: the trial? So far they have lost five out of 42 00:02:26,960 --> 00:02:30,520 Speaker 1: six trials and the damage amounts are increasing. The last 43 00:02:30,520 --> 00:02:34,040 Speaker 1: one in California generated a four and seventeen million dollar 44 00:02:34,120 --> 00:02:37,560 Speaker 1: birthdate against Johnson and Johnson. Well, thanks for joining us 45 00:02:37,560 --> 00:02:41,239 Speaker 1: on Bloomberg Law with this exclusive report about the J 46 00:02:41,440 --> 00:02:44,200 Speaker 1: and J case. That's Jeff Feely. He is a Bloomberg 47 00:02:44,240 --> 00:02:45,280 Speaker 1: News legal reporter.