Johnson & Johnson to seek US Supreme Court review on unit's bankruptcy

Leigh O'Dell, one of the lead attorneys representing plaintiffs in the lawsuits, said the 3rd Circuit's ruling is another step toward ending Johnson & Johnson's "attempted abuse of the bankruptcy system."

J&J said Wednesday that it would ask the 3rd Circuit to pause the ruling from taking effect to allow the company time to appeal to the Supreme Court.

The judge overseeing LTL's bankruptcy case, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Michael Kaplan in Trenton, New Jersey, said in February that he was prepared to end the bankruptcy and allow talc lawsuits to resume once the 3rd Circuit issues a formal mandate of its January decision.

Before the bankruptcy filing, the company faced costs from $3.5 billion in verdicts and settlements, including one in which 22 women were awarded a judgment of more than $2 billion, according to bankruptcy court records.

J&J announced in 2020 that it would stop selling its talc Baby Powder in the United States and Canada due to what it called "misinformation" about the product's safety and later announced its intent to discontinue the product worldwide in 2023.

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