Women With Ovarian Cancer Explain Why They Support Approximately $8 Billion J&J Talcum Powder Settlement Plan But Time is Running Out for Others to Vote to Support Plan Deadline to Vote is 5pm ET July 26

(NAPSI)—Women suffering from ovarian cancer after using Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J) talcum powder products want others and their families to know that a critical deadline is approaching for victims of these products. They are urging the tens of thousands who contracted cancer as a result of using J&J talcum powder to take advantage of a unique opportunity and vote for an approximately $8 billion settlement plan that would resolve years of fruitless litigation. 

But time is quickly running out: the vote deadline is 5pm ET on July 26.

Nonnie Hightower, 53, of Milwaukee used J&J baby powder her whole life before getting ovarian cancer.

“We put it on our babies, used it to smell better, even to slip into form-fitting clothes in the 90’s! Now I’m angry - for myself, for my daughter, and for my granddaughter. I wonder if I potentially harmed my own family by using baby powder on them. Battling cancer while raising my granddaughter was grueling. I’m supporting this settlement because there are many women waiting for justice, and financially, I need to.”

A group of attorneys from across the country, The Ad Hoc Group of Supporting Counsel, representing more than 77,500 individuals harmed by J&J talcum powder products, is also urging claimants to take immediate action and vote for this historic talcum powder settlement before the deadline.

Under the J&J plan, ovarian cancer clients are likely to receive an average recovery of between $75,000 and $150,000, according to the disclosure statement submitted by J&J in support of the plan.

J&J and a subsidiary have agreed to pay approximately $8 billion over 25 years ($6.475 billion net present value) to people who were harmed by talcum powder products. The plan provides a way for people to receive compensation without the time and expense of going to trial.  But 75% of the claimants voting on the plan must vote to support the plan for it to move ahead.

People who believe they are sick from using J&J products containing talc (such as J&J Baby Powder and Shower to Shower) can vote on the plan by visiting www.OfficialTalcClaims.com or calling 1-888-431-4056 to learn more and request a solicitation package to determine whether they can vote on the Plan.

Tamika Evans, 47, of Chicago used J&J baby powder daily from age 13 until she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

“I thought it was safe and used it to stay dry and during sports. I loved the smell. Now, after five years of chemotherapy and missing out on work and family activities, I’m glad it’s no longer for sale. I had to cut back on medical care because it got too expensive. I was forced to quit my job making medical supplies because of being sick. I support this settlement because it’s about more than money - it’s about acknowledging the impact on our lives.”

“It’s a highly democratic and efficient process that gives our clients a voice, for the first time, about whether the plan goes through or someone else decides for them,” said Anne Andrews, a member of the Ad Hoc Group and Founding and Managing Partner of Newport, CA-based law firm Andrews & Thornton.

Andrews represents Hightower and Evans and more than 10,500 other J&J talc victims. They have waited through years of frustrating and fruitless litigation with the global corporation.

Anna Maria Sanderford, 62, from Florence, Arizona, also represented by Andrews, says her mother used J&J talcum powder on her and her siblings growing up. She used it on her sons and herself as well.

“In the six years since my cancer diagnosis, my recovery has been long and slow. We need to get this settlement done so we can go on with our lives and do what we want with the time we have left. It’s especially important for women of my generation who used talcum powder the longest. We’re the ones who have suffered the most. I don’t want the legal process over a settlement to continue to drag on and use up even more of my time. I want to enjoy the life I have left.”

“Without the settlement through the bankruptcy, it will take decades more  for claimants to litigate their cases, with no recovery unless they win,” said Andrews. “These women are growing sicker by the day and some have already died while waiting years for justice. I also urge the families who’ve lost a grandmother, sister, daughter or others to participate on behalf of their loved ones who’ve already passed away.”

Rhonda McKey, 54, of Zachary, Louisiana, another client of Andrews, says baby powder was a part of her life since she was a baby but that now, after battling cancer, her life has completely changed.

“I’ve gone from being self-employed to being on disability, unable to work as I did before. Now, I’m not able to physically or financially help my family as I had wanted to and planned for. I support this settlement because I’ve seen companies take years to resolve these issues. For those of us still here, it’s important that J&J follows through. I don’t want to just survive. I want to live. But it’s not just about me—it’s for all the women who have suffered, and for the families who have lost loved ones.”

Plaintiffs with ovarian cancer cases have lost approximately 95% of cases tried against J&J to date, including every ovarian cancer case brought to trial in the last six years, according to Andrews . “Without the settlement through this plan, it will take decades for claimants to litigate their cases, with no recovery unless they win.”

Andrews, Hightower, Evans, Sanderford and McKey urge claimants to take immediate action and vote for this historic talcum powder settlement before the 5pm ET on July 26 deadline by visiting www.OfficialTalcClaims.com or calling 1-888-431-4056 to learn more and request a solicitation package to determine whether they can vote on the Plan.