Ben Crump Sues Johnson & Johnson on Behalf of Black Women - The Tatum Report

Civil Rights attorney Ben Crump announced he is filing a lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson on behalf of members of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW). The suit alleges that Johnson & Johnson specifically targets black women with unsafe products knowing that they are most likely to use them regularly.

Insider reports that a complaint from the NCNW claims organization members were diagnosed with ovarian cancer after using Johnson & Johnson powder products. Crump announced the negligence lawsuit in Washington DC on July 27.

Crump is most known for his often racially and politically driven work. Since 2012 he has been involved in some of the highest-profile legal cases in the United States, including Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and Jacob Blake.

The suit states in part, “NCNW has thousands of members who have used J&J’s Powder Products. Some of those members have already been injured through the development of ovarian cancer caused by J&J’s Powder Products. Others have legitimate reasons to believe that they will develop symptoms and are thus suffering psychological harm while also requiring immediate medical monitoring.”

A 2019 report from Reuters revealed that the company was focused on marketing its products to African-American and overweight women. Internal company documents show they distributed Baby Powder samples in churches and black and Latino beauty salons. The company also ran advertisements with weight-loss company Weight Watchers and Southern radio markets hoping to reach “curvy Southern women 18-49 skewing African American.”

Crump’s lawsuit claims that the way Johnson & Johnson advertised implied black women were naturally offensive and needed their products to remain fresh. Janice Mathis of the NCNW stated, “generations of black women believed them and made it our daily practice to use their products in ways that put us at risk of cancer – and we taught our daughters to do the same. Shame on Johnson & Johnson.”

Johnson & Johnson TARGETED Black women in marketing campaigns for their talcum-based baby powder! The lives of Black women MATTER! This multi-billion dollar corporation must be held accountable for knowingly marketing its harmful, ovarian cancer-causing product to Black women! pic.twitter.com/1kjgJD4aCs

— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) July 27, 2021

The company has denied claims that its powder products are not safe. However, they are no stranger to lawsuits, having faced at least 25,000 lawsuits and allocated nearly $4 billion for litigation expenses. A 2018 investigation by Reuters showed the company has known of possible asbestos contamination in their products since the 1970s

Most recently, Johnson & Johnson had to recall five of their sunscreen products after samples were found to contain potential cancer-causing chemicals. Their covid-19 vaccine distribution was also temporarily paused after blood clots arose in patients after receiving the company’s one-shot vaccine dose.

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Eric Butler grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and spent time in New York City before moving to the Midwest after witnessing the consequences of poor city leadership. He is an outspoken social media commentator and content creator standing up for the truth. ericbutler@tatumreport.com