THE WHAT? Johnson & Johnson is defending its talc in court once again as cracks appear in its bid to settle all remaining suits via a Texas two-step bankruptcy process. The Californian jury trial is the first to go ahead for more than two years, according to a report published by Reuters, after litigation was stayed pending the outcome of the Chapter 11 proceedings.

THE DETAILS Johnson & Johnson continues to defend the safety of its products with a lawyer for the defence in this case arguing that the plaintiff’s cancer is more likely to have been caused by a family history of heart disease and cancer.

THE WHY? The trial was allowed to go ahead because the plaintiff is not expected to live to see the bankruptcy process resolved.