Johnson & Johnson will pay $72M in Ovarian Cancer Case tied to Talcum Powder

Johnson & Johnson has been ordered to pay $72 million to the family of a woman who died from ovarian cancer, which she had claimed was caused by using the company's products that contained talcum, such as Baby Powder.

The jury in St. Louis, Missouri had arrived at its decision Monday night. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that 10 jurors - one male and nine females - voted in favor and two men voted against her.

The Associated Press reported that the company will be paying the family of Jacqueline Fox from Birmingham, Alabama $10 million in actual damages and an additional $62 million in punitive damages.

Fox's civil suit, which was taken over by her son Marvin Salter when she passed away from the cancer this fall, was a part of a larger claim filed in St. Louis Circuit Court. The claim, which stated that Johnson & Johnson failed to inform consumers about the health risks involved with using talcum, included roughly 60 people.

In Fox's trial, her lawyers accused Johnson & Johnson of being aware of the dangers of talcum and choosing not to disclose them.

"The sad part is, she had to learn about it from lawyer ads, while Johnson & Johnson tried to hide the truth from her," Salter said.

Fox had contacted lawyers based from a TV ad about talcum.

A spokeswoman for Johnson & Johnson, Carol Goodrich, said that although the company stands by its decision, they will be "evaluating" other legal choices.

"The recent U.S. verdict goes against decades of sound science proving the safety of talc as a cosmetic ingredient in multiple products, and while we sympathize with the family of the plaintiff, we strongly disagree with the outcome," Goodrich said.

Johnson & Johnson will most likely be appealing the ruling.