Johnson & Johnson’s latest plan to resolve mass cancer lawsuits through bankruptcy could force some cosmetic-talc users and their lawyers into a settlement they don’t want, highlighting the leverage that voting majorities enjoy in chapter 11.
Plaintiffs’ lawyers are divided over the healthcare-products giant’s $8.9 billion offer to compensate women alleging J&J’s talcum-based baby powder caused them to develop gynecologic cancer or asbestos disease. Some law firms have rejected J&J’s overture, while others representing nearly…