Plaintiffs lawyers have told a New Jersey federal judge they want to depose a Johnson & Johnson representative to address why the company lost or destroyed talcum powder samples that they could have tested in cases alleging women got ovarian cancer from prolonged use of its baby powder.

Attorneys for the women began seeking the depositions after a representative of Imerys Talc America Inc., a talc supplier, testified during a trial in New Jersey earlier this year about a missing box of potential talc samples.