On May 15, 2020, a proposed plan of settlement was agreed to in the Imerys bankruptcy to compensate women harmed by talcum powder. Imerys has coined itself as the world leader in the production and processing of minerals. The French-based multinational corporation has been named in the talcum powder litigation as the primary supplier for Johnson & Johnson's talcum baby powder. Over the past decade, it has faced liability lawsuits. In 2018, Imerys settled the claims of 22 women for 5.5 million in Missouri prior to trial. The trial proceeded against Johnson & Johnson and resulted in a 4.7 billion dollar verdict. In February 2019, Imerys's North American Subsidies filed for bankruptcy. As part of the bankruptcy resolution, Imerys is proposing, subject to court approval, to auction off the North American operations and put the proceeds into a trust fund for current and future women that develop ovarian cancer from their use of talcum powder. Essentially, it is offering to settle the present and future claims for the fair market value for the North American operations. In return, it will no longer be named as a defendant future liability lawsuits. "Today's announcement marks an important step toward a permanent resolution of historic talc-related liabilities," said Alessandro Dazza, Imerys' Chief Executive Officer. "The Plan, once approved by the relevant Courts, represents a favorable outcome for the Group and the Talc Subsidiaries, and will enable the Group to focus on its current operations and move forward free from these past liabilities." Under the proposed plan, the completion of the sale is expected to occur in the fourth quarter of 2020. The ramifications for the Talcum Powder multidistrict litigation and for Johnson & Johnson remain unclear.