Facing Mesothelioma Claims, Johnson & Johnson Files Suit Against Talc Expert

In the face of tens of thousands of personal injury claims filed by malignant mesothelioma and ovarian cancer victims, Johnson & Johnson’s subsidiary LTL Management has filed a disparagement claim against the author of a frequently cited article. Dr. Jacqueline Moline published the work titled Mesothelioma Associated with the Use of Cosmetic Talc in 2019. The company claims Dr. Moline knew that the claim she made in the article was false, yet repeated it anyway, to their detriment.

Johnson & Johnson Subsidiary Accuses Author who Linked Talc to Mesothelioma of Deception

Johnson & Johnson has already been ordered to pay billions of dollars to mesothelioma and ovarian cancer victims who blame the company’s talc products for their illnesses. The company has pursued several legal moves to avoid more liability, including creating LTL Management, a new company, to hold its talc liabilities and then having the subsidiary file for bankruptcy. The courts are currently attempting to determine whether that maneuver stands in light of Johnson & Johnson’s robust economic position. In the meantime, the company is now taking steps against the expert whose article has been used in testimony against them.

The company’s lawsuit references the article, which claims 33 individuals who used talc powder and had no other asbestos exposure developed mesothelioma. Saying that Dr. Moline had repeated her claim “to the media, in scientific literature, at public conferences, and to Congress, judges and juries,” LTL Management says she knew the claim was false but made it for “her own personal aggrandizement and gain.” They say that she knew that some of the individuals whose stories were included in her article had exposure to other sources of asbestos and had sought compensation from other companies.

 Expert’s Article is Frequently Cited in Mesothelioma Claims

Dr. Moline is an Occupational Medicine specialist and Professor of Occupational Medicine, Epidemiology and Prevention and Internal Medicine. She teaches at the Donald & Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and is the Director of the Northwell Health Queens World Trade Center Health Program. Her testimony is often sought in mesothelioma and other toxic tort lawsuits.

Dr. Moline’s testimony regarding asbestos and talc has proven extremely helpful to mesothelioma victims over the years. She has helped juries understand the role that these materials play in the development of asbestos-related illnesses. LTL Management is asking the courts to hold Dr. Moline financially accountable for what they call her “malfeasance.”