Son Honors Mother After Milestone Johnson & Johnson Talcum Powder Lawsuit Verdict

It’s only natural for people to fixate on the number whenever they read about a jury awarding money in a pharmaceutical lawsuit, but there is always a story behind that number. The recent $72 million verdict in a talcum powder lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson is no exception.

In this case, the story centers on Marvin Slater, the son of Jackie Fox. Fox, who passed away in 2015 from ovarian cancer, used Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder and Shower to Shower for 35 years. Her family sued the company, claiming the products caused her disease.

A Touching Tribute

After the verdict was announced on February 22, 2016, Slater posted a picture of he and his mother on his Facebook page and honored her with a moving tribute, saying that while the pain of losing her was hard, he was thankful that her suffering had ended.

He later said in an interview with the investigative news organization FairWarning that his mother wanted to create awareness of an issue that, as Slater put it, “has been suppressed for so many years by Johnson & Johnson.”

In the interview, Slater also described his mother as one of the “kindest, most positive people… even during her fight with this disease.” Even though she was suffering terribly, Slater said that Fox continued to “put others ahead of her needs in many situations.”

Disturbing Numbers

About 20,000 women in the U.S. are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year, and about 14,000 of them will eventually die from the disease. Many women, studies indicate, develop the disease after using talc-based products for genital hygiene. Dr. Daniel Cramer, a professor of epidemiology at Harvard University, has researched the topic for more than 30 years. He has published many studies stating that women who use products containing talc in the genital area are at a 30 percent higher risk for developing ovarian cancer than those who do not.