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Jul 26, 2023
The Texas Two-Step and Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder
How Johnson & Johnson Protects itself from Cancer Claims
Summary
What’s safer than baby powder? Parents have been trusting Johnson & Johnson for over 100 years to powder their baby’s bottoms.
Yet, numerous studies have revealed the presence of trace amounts of asbestos in this talc-based powder. Thousands of parents now claim that this asbestos is responsible for their cancers. A Reuters investigation catalogued this evidence and the fact that J&J knew about the asbestos since the 1950s, yet continued to sell the powder.
Johnson & Johnson is proposing a $9 billion dollar settlement for the over 38,000 lawsuits brought and all claims into the future. However, it depends on the courts accepting a controversial bankruptcy procedure called “the Texas Two-Step.” This strategy is being used to address a raft of personal injury complaints against a number of companies, but critics call it nothing more than a ‘sham bankruptcy’ that is being used to let corporations off the hook.
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Your Host
Marc Apollonio
Marc Apollonio is a podcast-producer and journalist with a background in investigative reporting, news and current affairs. His documentary, The Brightest Licence Plate In Montreal, won The Canadian Association of Journalists 2021 award for Human Rights Reporting. His current fixation is the politics of genetics and evolutionary biology.