As the number of talc powder lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson continues to rise, the multinational corporation has reserved $3.9 billion for litigation expenses and settlements, reports Business Insider. The planned reserve represents a marked increase from the $400 million that Johnson & Johnson (J&J) had earmarked for such expenses in 2019.

After four years of litigation between plaintiffs and Johnson & Johnson, the multinational corporation agreed to the first set of major settlements. The agreement to pay $100 million will resolve more than 1,000 lawsuits in which plaintiffs allege that the talc in Johnson & Johnson’s signature baby powder causes cancer, according to a Bloomberg report.  This settlement marks the first to come from almost 20,000 lawsuits.

The coronavirus outbreak has touched virtually every aspect of our lives, including our court system. On March 18, a New Jersey state court declared it was delaying proceedings in a case against American International Industries, the parent company for talc-product manufacturer Clubman.

In the lawsuit, two hairdressers, Margaret Lashley and Dwayne Johnson, seek justice for their exposure to asbestos in Clubman brand’s cosmetic talc products they used in a barbershop. The plaintiffs claim that this exposure caused their fatal cancer.

A new study appearing in the current edition of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine may provide plaintiffs in talc litigation the most powerful evidence yet discovered linking asbestos-contaminated talcum powder to mesothelioma.