J&J Must Face Baby Powder Suit From 24-Year-Old With Cancer (1)

Johnson & Johnson can no longer use bankruptcy to block a trial in California over claims its baby powder caused the deadly cancer of a 24-year-old man, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.

The ruling is the first of its kind since an appeals court ordered the dismissal of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy case that the health-care giant had been using to stall about 40,000 cancer lawsuits. The appeals court ruling is temporarily on hold while J&J appeals, which means cancer victims must still get special permission to bring their cases to trial.

“The pendulum has swung” against J&J and its ...