The family of a mum who died from ovarian cancer they claim was linked to talcum powder have vowed to fight until they get "justice".
The Wright family have joined a lawsuit against one of the world's biggest pharmaceutical companies Johnson and Johnson. The group action against the biggest seller of talcum powder comes amid growing fears asbestos in its products allegedly gave people ovarian cancer.
KP Law are currently working on a 2,000 claimant legal case against Johnson and Johnson, the biggest seller of the powder. A letter has been issued to the firm who have until the end of the year to respond before documents are filed in the High Court. Richard said: "This is about justice for my mum and the bottom line is someone being held accountable.
"We want an explanation, we want someone to hold their hands up and say that 'we knew this was an issue', the more people talking about this the better. People will read about this and say, 'my mum had this, my auntie had this' and a lot of people will come forward. It is important that we get justice, and they must be accountable."
Maureen passed away at home in 1991 and Richard remains haunted by the circumstances. He said: "Imagine being at the age of 13, waking up to find that your mother is gone and that she is still in her bedroom. I can remember speaking to my mum and her not knowing who I was, her coming back around, in and out of a state. They were devastating times and when we sat there and had to tell Michael at five that she had passed, it was horrible."
J&J denies suppressing any information and denies any links between its baby powder, asbestos and cancer. However, the firm has already set aside more than $6billion (£4.77bn) to settle ovarian cancer cases in the US with a further $4billion (£3.18bn) for people diagnosed with mesothelioma.
Lawyers at KP Law argue the pharmaceutical giants knew for decades about the presence of asbestos in its talcum powder and failed to act. The products were sold in the UK until as recently as 2022. Richard added: "I have girls myself and when I look at them, I was saying my youngest is so much like my mum, you get to an age where you have to repeat the loss, you have your children asking questions.
"My mum's whole life could have been different. It has had a massive effect on us now and a lot of people think that if you lose your mum 30 years ago, you get over it - but you never get over it."
Richard has also paid tribute to the "beautiful and kind-hearted woman" who was his mother. He said: "She was a kind and excellent person. Obviously as a mum, she would be. She was a stay-at-home mum and she was a beautiful and kind-hearted woman, she got on with everyone. Even with her illness, she did a lot of charity work for cancer research."
The family were keen to emphasise that Maureen kept going until the end, despite being in and out of hospital. Richard added: "My dad still visits her grave every birthday and on the anniversary of her death, we get together as a family and go to the church, St Mary's in Hornchurch, and light a candle."
Jeffrey Wright, 75, added: "Maureen was so full of life. Even now, it's hard to believe that she is gone. She was only 17 years old when we met. I used to joke when she married me that I was punching above my weight. I miss her every day, but her death devastated the boys.
"Talc had always been a feature in our home - Maureen would use it all over her body and I vividly remember the taste and smell of it on my lips after kissing her. We had no idea why she developed ovarian cancer, it just seemed one of those tragically unlucky things.
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