In a stunning verdict handed down in a federal court in New Jersey, a jury has ordered pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson and its talc supplier, Imerys, to pay $37 million to a 46-year-old man who alleged that his mesothelioma was caused by his regular use of the defendant's talc-containing products over the course of his lifetime. The trial, which ended yesterday, is the most recent bellwether case over allegations that Johnson & Johnson's flagship products, Baby Powder and Shower to Shower, are carcinogenic.

This week, Johnson & Johnson was ordered to pay $415 million to a California woman who alleged that her ovarian cancer was caused by the company's talc-containing Baby Powder. Eva Echeverria, now hospitalized and in the final stages of her illness, said she used the product daily for most of her life. She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2007.

As the number of lawsuits over talc-containing Baby Powder continues to grow, manufacturer Johnson & Johnson – once “The Most Trusted Brand in America” – has been fighting back in order to convince the public of the safety of their product. To that end, the J&J corporate website now has a page on “4 Important Facts About the Safety of Talc.” But is the information accurate? What are the facts?

At the end of October, a jury in St. Louis, Missouri, awarded $67.5 million to a plaintiff who stated her ovarian cancer was the result of using Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder – a product containing talc. This is the third loss in a row for the pharmaceutical and health care products company. All three trials were held in a state court in St. Louis. So far, J&J’s total liability amounts to approximately $195 million. Although such awards are often reduced and sometimes even overturned on appeal, the prospects aren't looking good for the defendants.