(Legal Newsline) - Researchers who published a paper claiming 75 cancer patients had no “known exposure to asbestos” other than Johnson & Johnson cosmetic talc even though some had sued over other exposures cannot be accused of trade libel, a judge has ruled.

(Legal Newsline) - Plaintiff lawyers who have pushed dubious claims that talcum powder causes ovarian cancer for more than a decade have agreed to settle nearly all their cases after suffering a courtroom loss over expert witnesses and a disclosure of conflicts that could have cost them hundreds of millions of dollars in fees.

A special master hearing evidence behind tens of thousands of lawsuits over Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder has urged the court to reject a key plaintiff expert’s test for asbestos, undermining claims talcum powder causes ovarian cancer.