米Ｊ＆Ｊ、１．２兆円の和解案を提示　ベビーパウダー訴訟

【ニューヨークＡＦＰ＝時事】米医薬品大手ジョンソン・エンド・ジョンソン（Ｊ＆Ｊ）は４日、タルク配合のベビーパウダーの発がん性をめぐる集団訴訟について、原告団に２５年かけて８９億ドル（約１兆２０００億円）を支払う和解案を提示した。（写真は米医薬品大手ジョンソン・エンド・ジョンソンのロゴマーク）
　同案が裁判所と原告団の過半数に認められれば、米国製品が関わる損害賠償としては、たばこ会社やオピオイド系鎮痛剤の製造企業を相手取ったものなどと並ぶ最大級の賠償規模となる。
　Ｊ＆Ｊはこれまで、ごく微量のアスベストが含まれたタルク入りパウダーで卵巣がんになったとする訴訟を数千件抱えてきた。
　同社は一貫して非を認めていないが、米国とカナダでは２０２０年５月からタルク入りベビーパウダーの販売を中止した。
　同社は今回の和解案について「過ちを認めるものではなく、弊社がこれまでとってきたタルク粉製品は安全であるという立場を変えたということでもない」と強調した一方で、「本件をできる限り早く効率的に解決することが弊社と全ての関係者にとって最善と考える」と説明した。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2023/04/05-21:48）

US pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson on Tuesday proposed an $8.9 billion settlement to resolve years-old lawsuits claiming that its talcum powder products caused cancer.
The New Jersey-based company said the proposed settlement, which still needs the approval of a bankruptcy court, will equitably and efficiently resolve all claims arising from cosmetic talc litigation.
If approved by the court and a majority of the plaintiffs, the $8.9 billion payout would be one of the largest product liability settlements ever in the United States, ranking alongside those entered into by tobacco companies and, more recently, opioid manufacturers.
J&J has been facing thousands of lawsuits over talcum powder containing traces of asbestos blamed for causing ovarian cancer.
The firm has never admitted wrongdoing but stopped selling its talc-based baby powder in the United States and Canada in May 2020.
The company continues to believe that these claims are specious and lack scientific merit, Erik Haas, J&J's vice president of litigation, said in a statement.
J&J said the $8.9 billion would be paid to the tens of thousands of claimants over 25 years through a J&J subsidiary, LTL Management LLC, which was set up to address the claims and has filed for bankruptcy protection.
It said that LTL has secured commitments from over 60,000 current claimants to support a global resolution on these terms.
A previous settlement involving LTL was rejected by an appellate court and a bankruptcy court will now have to approve the new LTL bankruptcy filing and settlement.
J&J had previously proposed a settlement of $2 billion in response to the allegations that its cosmetic talc caused gynecological cancers.
The company said the newly proposed settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing, nor an indication that the company has changed its longstanding position that its talcum powder products are safe.
Nonetheless, resolving this matter as quickly and efficiently as possible is in the best interests of the company and all stakeholders, J&J said.
According to Haas, the settlement allows claimants to be compensated in a timely manner, and enables the company to remain focused on our commitment to profoundly and positively impact health for humanity.