Ben Crump Sues J&J: ‘Cancerous’ Talcum Powder Targeted Black Women
10:29 AM PT — Ben Crump held a press conference to discuss the lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson… but things quickly turned emotional as he allowed some of the National Council of Negro Women women to speak for themselves in very heartbreaking terms.
The lawyer pleaded with the company, saying that they should accept the lawsuit and do the right thing for the women he said were affected. A few of them spoke up and gave very personal remarks.
One woman wept as she thought of her grandmother who died from ovarian cancer after she used J&J products. Another woman stated that her use of J&J products talcum-based was something she had done since childhood. It was a part of her hygiene routine, as well as the literature and advertising that she’d read over the years.
Based on J&J’s reaction so far, however, it appears that this case could go to court… despite Crump’s plea for understanding.
9:42 AM PTTMZ has just received the lawsuit Ben Crump filed against J&J… and boy did they deliver.
The suit is incredibly damning. It cites a mountain of evidence, including studies that date back to the 1960s and 1970s, which apparently continued through the 1990s. These studies clearly show that talcum and similar particles are naturally carcinogenic, easily mobilized once inside the body, and, most importantly, can be cancerous and hazardous to human health.
Crump cites more than a dozen case studies that were done by a variety of health organizations and science groups to examine how talcum affects women. Crump states that these studies frequently came to the same conclusion: talcum seems to be linked with ovarian cancer in women who have used talcum-based products.
He continues to state that these studies and results were widely published and readily accessible. J&J then alleges they were well aware of the fact and continued to promote Baby Powder and Shower To Shower powder, both of which are talcum rich.
Next comes the real bombshell. This would be an in-depth account of Crump’s calculated effort to target African-American women who were one of J&J’s largest consumers of talcum powder products.
Crump claims to possess in-house data, marketing presentations and proposals drafted between J&J, and other firms. He says they all conclude the same thing… that Black women and minority women are “highly important” to business and that J&J “need(ed] to maintain” their cash cow while acknowledging that it was becoming more difficult to retain core AA consumers.
He continues to state that one of their strategies to get Black women to keep buying their talcum powder products, was to continue to stop by churches and salons in predominantly Black neighborhoods and give out free samples of their Baby Powder. Crump asserts that it was more than just person-to-person interactions on the ground. Crump also claims that J&J considered hiring.Aretha Franklin…Patti LaBelleTo be their spokesperson in the mid-2000s for Black women and to keep them loyal customers.
It’s not clear if the Franklin/LaBelle concept ever came to fruition, but Crump says it’s one of many examples of what J&J had in mind to ensure their hold on power. He also claims that they ran Baby Powder/Shower To Shower advertisements on radio stations with predominantly Black listeners. Crump says that J&J knew who their primary clientele was for their talcum products and went to great lengths to promote it to Black women through a variety of means.
Crump states that ovarian cancer has affected a large number of African-American women. They have suffered pain, suffering, loss of enjoyment of their lives, and, in some cases, even lost their lives.
He is asking for J&J to be sanctioned by a court over their targeted campaigns. This would include requiring them to create a system to track who was adversely affected by their Talcum sales, track their medical requirements, and reimburse them. He’s also seeking damages.
J&J responded that they sympathize with cancer patients, but do not believe their products are to blame. They stated that “our products are safe, don’t contain asbestos, and don’t cause cancer.” They claim the allegations against them in the suit are false and add that they would deliberately and systematically target communities with bad intentions.
Ben Crump Johnson & Johnson is being sued by the man who allegedly targeted Black women with a product that he claims has been linked with cancer. It sounds like they are taking a class action.
Tuesday was a big day for civil rights lawyer. He donned his personal injury lawyer hat and made a major announcement. Paul Napoli we are taking the pharmaceutical and packaging giant to court for the National Council of Negro Women.
MEDIA ALERT: AttorneyCrump and @NapoliShkolnik will announce tomorrow (7/27) that they have filed a lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson for members of the National Council of Negro Women. The announcement was made at an 11:20 AM ET news conference. pic.twitter.com/evM9YuiVDc
— Ben Crump Law, PLLC (@BenCrumpLaw) July 26, 2021
@BenCrumpLaw
Ben claims it’s all about a alleged J&J campaign that lasted for decades. He says the campaign was designed to encourage African-American women over the years to purchase J&J’s famous powder products. This included talcum powder (found mostly in J&J baby powder), which he claims has been the subject research and studies with ties to ovarian carcinoma.
Ben claims he has inside information, including memos from company employees, that shows their attempts to convince Black women to purchase talcum. He says this has done irreparable damage to many over the years. Ben claims to have data that supports the idea that Black women were the main focus of these talcum sales efforts. And that they did, in large part.
Ben and co. claim J&J knew that its product was toxic for the body. They also claim they betrayed their trust with African-American communities and consumers.
He’s now inviting anyone affected by the lawsuit to come on board… presumably in order to be a part of the suit, potential damages, and/or any settlement. Ben will hold a press conference later that day in order to discuss the details of the lawsuit.
