J&J Opposes Former Talc Supplierâs Bankruptcy Plan to Resolve Cancer Claims
Johnson & Johnson says Imerys Talc America let people with talc claims dictate their damages
Johnson & Johnson objects to the bankruptcy plan of Imerys Talc America, a former supplier of talc for Johnsonâs Baby Powder. Photo: lucas jackson/Reuters By Jan. 12, 2021 8:05 pm ET Imerys SA is pressing ahead in an effort to get out from under lawsuits over its U.S. mining operation, Imerys Talc America Inc., over the protests of health-care company Johnson & Johnson .
The Imerys talc-mining business, which supplied talc for Johnsonâs Baby Powder, had been hit with lawsuits claiming the product caused cancer. It was placed into chapter 11 protection in 2019 and sold in 2020 for $223 million, with the proceeds earmarked for a trust to pay cancer claims. It is now trying to win court permission to seek creditor approval of its bankruptcy repayment
Jan. 13, 2021 1:59 am ET Boeing Co. ’s drone unit has agreed to pay $25 million to settle civil-fraud allegations that it overcharged on more than half a dozen contracts signed with the U.S. Navy and special forces between 2009 and 2017.
Announced Tuesday by the Justice Department and Pentagon investigative agencies, the settlement stems from whistleblower claims by a then-official of the unit, Insitu Inc., that it knowingly charged new-part prices for “less expensive recycled, refurbished, reconditioned and/or reconfigured parts.” According to the Justice Department, the contracts with the Navy and the Pentagon’s Special Operations Command required new parts and materials.
Jan. 12, 2021 10:59 pm ET
A breach at email security provider Mimecast Inc. underscores that Russia-linked hackers appear to have targeted victims along multiple avenues of attack in what is shaping up to be one of the most successful cyber campaigns of U.S. government and corporate systems.
The attack potentially adds thousands of victims to the yearslong intelligence operation and likely aimed at gaining access to email systems, security experts say. Mimecast, in a Tuesday blog post, said the hackers were able to obtain a digital certificate used by the company to access its customersâ Microsoft 365 office productivity services.
The Mimecast hackers used tools and techniques that link them to the hackers who broke into Austin, Texas-based SolarWinds Corp., according to people familiar with the investigation. The link to the SolarWinds hackers was reported earlier by Reuters.
Jan. 11, 2021 6:32 pm ET
Video-sharing site Rumble Inc. accused Google in a lawsuit of abusing the power of its search engine and mobile operating system to boost its YouTube video service over rivals, the latest allegation of anticompetitive conduct against the Alphabet Inc. unit.
Toronto-based Rumble, which has become popular among conservative pundits, on Monday filed an antitrust suit in federal court in California arguing that Google is “unfairly rigging its search algorithms” to place YouTube above Rumble in its search results. Rumble said Google’s behavior cost it significant numbers of viewers and advertising dollars.
The lawsuit also argues that Google’s deals to pre-install a YouTube app on mobile devices running Google’s Android operating system have unfairly deprived Rumble of viewers.