J&J Asbestos Fraud Suit Can Proceed, Imerys Bankruptcy Judge Says

Imerys Talc America Inc.'s bankruptcy case shouldn’t halt a proposed class action accusing Johnson & Johnson—Imerys’ former talc customer—of lying about asbestos in its talc-containing products, a judge ruled.

The ruling marked a win for plaintiffs that accused J&J of “directly and systematically” concealing evidence that its talc contained asbestos. The lawsuit was brought in New Jersey state court by the family of a former industrial worker on behalf of several thousand plaintiffs and doesn’t name Imerys, a talc producer, as a defendant.

Imerys, which in 2011 purchased a talc-producing subsidiary once owned by J&J, argued that the suit should ...