Each year, consumers seriously harmed by products they purchased or used file lawsuits against their designers, manufacturers, or marketers. Such cases are already starting to fill up court dockets this year in 2022. Details about the four notable products liability cases to be on the lookout for in 2022 are below.

Johnson & Johnson Talc Issues

Countless plaintiffs who received cancer diagnoses attributed to their use of Johnson & Johnson (J&J) baby powder will finally get their day in court in 2022. J&J recently transferred its liabilities to a subsidiary, which soon thereafter filed for bankruptcy. The trustee presiding over the bankruptcy case then allowed it to be moved from North Carolina to New Jersey, where the bulk of plaintiffs filed their case against J&J. Legal analysts cite this move as an attempt by J&J not to have to respond to its plaintiffs.

Opioid Drug Manufacturers Lawsuits Linger

The pharmaceutical company J&J has already settled cases filed in California and West Virginia for its role in distributing highly addictive opioids. However, an estimated 3,000 or more tribal, municipal, county or state government plaintiffs are looking to hold multiple other drugmakers responsible for distributing the drugs that led to an opioid addiction nightmare. Many of these cases will likely have their day in court in 2022.

Cases Against 3M Co for its Combat Arms Earplugs March On

Plaintiffs who had previously filed lawsuits alleging their use of version 2 Combat Arms Earplugs left them with hearing damage or loss will continue to have their cases heard in court in 2022. 3M Co, the ear plugs’ manufacturer, has won half of the 10 cases litigated so far. An additional 270,000 plaintiffs awaiting their day in court in North Florida alone should have their case heard in 2022.

Plaintiffs Continue To Pursue Weedkiller Manufacturers

Bayer AG, the Roundup weedkiller manufacturer, will likely continue to fight the 25,000 or more lawsuits filed against them over the past few years in 2022. Bayer AG has already asked the U.S. Supreme Court to set aside a $25 million verdict a California resident won after establishing a connection between his use of Roundup and cancer diagnosis. Bayer AG argues that it shouldn’t be held liable for distributing or marketing approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It has lost three appeals after making such an argument before.

Another weedkiller company, ChemChina, also faces additional litigation over its weedkiller paraquat in 2022. Plaintiffs have attributed their Parkinson’s disease diagnoses to their use of this weedkiller, which has been outlawed for a long time in most of Europe, Brazil, and China.

Consumers Have Rights If a Product Injures Them

Many consumers don’t realize that they can hold a company liable for a product that adversely impacts their health or leaves them with physical injuries. While proving such cases isn’t always easy, holding a company liable is key to ensuring what happened to one person doesn’t continue happening to others.