Johnson & Johnson faces thousands of talcum powder lawsuits, with a potential $8.2 billion settlement pending. Plaintiffs allege cancer risks from asbestos in J&J’s products, and recent court actions could impact future settlements and case outcomes.
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Latest Talcum Powder Lawsuit Updates
Johnson & Johnson faces 58,206 pending talcum powder lawsuits in multidistrict litigation (MDL) as of March 2025. MDL-2738 is before Judge Michael A. Shipp in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.
A federal judge in Houston is set to decide on Johnson & Johnson’s $8.2 billion settlement offer in 2025. This ruling could potentially conclude thousands of cancer lawsuits related to J&J’s baby powder.
On May 1, 2024, Johnson & Johnson proposed a $6.48 billion settlement that would be paid out over 25 years. The settlement would address the lawsuits claiming its talcum powder caused ovarian cancer. This would cover 99.75% of the pending cases, but only if at least 75% of plaintiffs approve it. In September, J&J raised the offer by $1.75 billion after negotiating with attorneys who initially opposed the settlement.
The J&J subsidiary Red River Talc filed for bankruptcy in Texas to facilitate the now-$8 billion settlement. This is the third time J&J has attempted to use Chapter 11 bankruptcy to finance a settlement, but courts ruled against previous attempts.
Status of Talcum Powder Lawsuits
October 2024: On October 15, 2024, a Connecticut jury awarded $15 million to Evan Plotkin. Plotkin claimed he developed mesothelioma after using Johnson & Johnson's talcum powder products for decades. The jury also determined that Plotkin is entitled to additional punitive damages, which a judge will decide later. The U.S. Trustee Program filed a new motion to dismiss the bankruptcy case that would allow J&J to complete the talc settlement. The program stated that the case was “a textbook example of bad faith” and J&J “has no need for bankruptcy relief.” However, earlier this month, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez allowed Red River Talc's bankruptcy case to remain in Texas. This is despite calls to move the case to New Jersey, where past J&J settlement attempts have failed. Lopez interpreted the case to be sufficiently different from J&J’s previous bids for bankruptcy, thus justifying it being held in Texas this time.
September 2024: On September 20, Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Red River Talc filed for bankruptcy in Texas court, a necessary step to finalize the approximately $8 billion talc settlement. J&J said the settlement has the support of 83% of plaintiffs. Johnson & Johnson added $1.1 billion to its settlement proposal in early September. Reuters reported that J&J had reached an agreement with a lawyer representing 12,000 clients in these cases. This lawyer now recommends plaintiffs accept the settlement.
August 2024: A South Carolina state court jury awarded $63.4 million in damages to Michael Perry after he claimed that his mesothelioma resulted from Johnson and Johnson baby powder usage. Perry, who was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2023, had used the powder every day due to a deodorant allergy. In other news, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the previous court ruling in the $6.5 billion multidistrict litigation case and stopped J&J's second attempt at bankruptcy. The health care giant plans to take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court. According to Bloomberg, J&J has met the 75% plaintiff voting threshold to get the $6.5 billion settlement approved through bankruptcy. The settlement needs to receive court approval and still faces opposition from attorneys representing plaintiffs against the settlement.
July 2024: Despite objections from the plaintiffs, a federal judge has approved J&J's $6.48 billion, 25-year lawsuit settlement plan to move forward. This plan aims to resolve thousands of talcum powder cancer lawsuits through a subsidiary's bankruptcy. Critics have noted that two previous attempts to address the matter through bankruptcy were unsuccessful, and they argue that the proposed settlement does not provide fair compensation to the plaintiffs. In other news this month, Dr. Jacqueline Moline won a lawsuit J&J filed against her. Moline is a scientist who wrote an influential paper connecting asbestos-contaminated talc to cancer. The lawsuit accused her of fraud and libel related to her 2020 research paper on talc and cancer. However, the judge found that J&J presented no evidence to prove its claims. At the beginning of July, the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer reclassified talc from a "possible carcinogen" to a "probable carcinogen" after reviewing current scientific literature, including evidence of increased ovarian cancer risk in women who used talcum powder in the genital area. In mid-July, Johnson & Johnson proposed a settlement to bankrupt talc miners Imerys Talc America and Cyprus Mines Corporation. This $505 million settlement, to be paid out by December 31, 2025, would resolve disputes over talc liabilities.
June 2024: An Oregon jury ordered Johnson & Johnson to compensate Kyung Lee with $260 million. Lee, a 48-year-old woman, claimed that her lifelong use of J&J baby powder — some of it tainted by asbestos — caused her mesothelioma. Later that month, lawyers filed a class action lawsuit in New Jersey. They seek damages and medical monitoring for women who used Johnson & Johnson's talc-based products. The proposed settlement class would not include those who previously sued the company for talc-related claims. In addition, J&J confirmed that it reached a $700 million settlement agreement with 42 states' Attorneys General. This agreement is to resolve state investigations into whether the company misled consumers about the safety of its talc product. The settlement doesn't affect individual talcum powder lawsuits. However, it could prevent future cases claiming the company knew about the link between its talc powder products and cancer.
May 2024: Johnson & Johnson proposed a $6.48 billion settlement of all lawsuits claiming ovarian cancer injuries. Later the same month, researchers published a new study linking talc use to ovarian cancer, potentially threatening the viability of the settlement offer. In talc trial news, a jury in Connecticut awarded $15 million to the family of Nicholas Barone. Barone passed away from mesothelioma after he was exposed to asbestos-contaminated talc. The jury found Vanderbilt Minerals LLC — the successor to International Talc, the company that produced the contaminated talc — at fault for Barone's death.
April 2024: A jury in Illinois ordered J&J and its former subsidiary Kenvue to pay $45 million to the family of Theresa Garcia. Garcia died of mesothelioma allegedly linked to her use of J&J's talcum-based baby powder.
March 2024: A Florida lawsuit filed by Bob Sugarman ended in a mistrial on March 5 when jurors couldn't reach a verdict. The trial sought compensation for the death of Sugarman’s wife, Marilyn Seskin, from a rare ovarian cancer allegedly caused by J&J's talcum powder.
October 2023: An appeals court in New Jersey overturned a $224 million verdict against J&J that had been awarded to four plaintiffs. This is because the scientific testimony used in the trial was deemed inadequate.
July 2023: Bankruptcy Court Judge Michael Kaplan rejected Johnson & Johnson subsidiary LTL Management LLC’s second attempt at bankruptcy. The judge ruled that there was no basis for the company to claim bankruptcy protection, given the immense funds at its disposal.
April 2023: LTL refiled for bankruptcy protection again after the Third Circuit Court of Appeals nullified its original plan. J&J offered an $8.9 billion talcum powder settlement to create a bankruptcy trust again.
March 2023: The U.S. Court of Appeals didn’t allow LTL’s request to stay a bankruptcy ruling.
January 2023: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit issued a temporary ruling that prevents J&J from exploiting bankruptcy law to resolve talcum powder cases.
October 2021: J&J created the subsidiary LTL Management LLC and transferred its talcum powder liability to this company. LTL then filed for bankruptcy — a move infamously known as the “Texas two-step.”
June 2021: The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear J&J’s request to overturn a $2.11 billion verdict. The verdict initially came from a Missouri jury that ruled in favor of 22 women who claimed J&J’s talcum powder led them to develop ovarian cancer.
April 2018: A jury in New Jersey awarded $117 million to mesothelioma plaintiff Stephen Lanzo III.
August 2017: A jury granted $417 million to Eva Echeverria, who had ovarian cancer and died shortly after the trial.
May 2017: A St. Louis jury awarded $110 million to Lois Slemp for ovarian cancer attributed to decades of using Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder.
May 2017 A jury granted a verdict of $70 million to Deborah Giannecchini, who claimed she developed ovarian cancer from using J&J baby powder.
February 2016: A court awarded Jacqueline Fox’s family $72 million in the first lawsuit against J&J for an ovarian cancer case. However, an appeals court later overturned the verdict because Fox’s lawyers filed the lawsuit in the wrong jurisdiction.
Lawyers who have represented clients in this litigation for years, such as Trent Miracle, claimed J&J’s previously proposed $8.9 billion deal was too low. According to Miracle, enough money must be set aside for injuries that could pop up many years later.
“You have no idea how many cancer cases are going to pop up between now and 10 years from now, 20 years from now,” Miracle told Consumer Notice.
The courts rejected the earlier settlement offer. Johnson & Johnson has set aside $11 billion to address talc liability.
Diagnosed with mesothelioma or ovarian cancer after using talcum powder?
People are filing lawsuits to receive compensation for illnesses caused by exposure to talcum powder containing asbestos. Asbestos and talc are minerals that commonly occur together underground, increasing the risk of cross-contamination.
Talcum powder lawsuits can be for both consumer and industrial product use.
Attorney Trent Miracle explains statutes of limitations and why you should talk to a lawyer immediately about your talcum powder claim.
Injuries Named in Talc Lawsuits
Mesothelioma is one of the cancers named in these suits. It can affect the lining of the lungs and abdomen after inhaling asbestos fibers, but it can also occur around the linings of other organs.
Asbestos also causes ovarian cancer. The three most common injuries named in talc lawsuits are:
Ovarian cancer
Pleural mesothelioma (based in the lungs)
Peritoneal mesothelioma (based in the abdomen)
Cosmetic and industrial talc contaminated with asbestos can lead to cancer with long-term use. Use may be personal — such as when diapering a baby or using powder products after a shower — or in an occupational setting, such as working on a contaminated construction site.
Talcum powder used for perineal dusting has been linked to ovarian cancer.
Asbestos-related illnesses are serious and often deadly, and some people develop cancer from talcum powder.
A hearing key to determining whether J&J’s talc settlement will be completed began today in Texas bankruptcy court.
Who Qualifies for a Talcum Powder Lawsuit?
People who developed an asbestos-related illness after exposure to talcum powder may be eligible to sue. The first criterion is a diagnosis of an asbestos-related disease. A biopsy is the most effective way to confirm mesothelioma. A bronchoscopy may also identify asbestos fibers and differentiate mesothelioma from similar lung cancers.
Exposure to talcum powder at home or in an occupational setting is another criterion. If someone suspects an asbestos-related disease is because of talc exposure, it’s important to consult with a lawyer. A lawyer experienced in talc and asbestos cases will help collect necessary documents, file the lawsuit and argue on the plaintiff’s behalf.
Did You Know?
Each year, doctors in the U.S. diagnose around 21,000 women with ovarian cancer, and nearly 13,000 women die from the disease.
The defendants in lawsuits involving industrial talcum powder are generally suppliers. In consumer-related lawsuits, the defendants are suppliers and manufacturers — some are well-known brands, such as Johnson & Johnson. Some suits have also named national retailers as defendants.
Defendants named in various talc lawsuits include:
Avon
Chanel
Colgate-Palmolive
CVS
Estee Lauder
Gold Bond
Imerys Talc North America
Johnson & Johnson
Old Spice
Mennen
Revlon
Target
Vanderbilt Minerals
Walgreens
Walmart
Lawsuits for asbestos-containing talc products allege that the products caused a serious illness. They also allege and offer evidence that the companies knew about the issue and did nothing to resolve it or deliberately hid information.
Johnson & Johnson Response to Talcum Powder Claims
J&J continues to insist that its talcum powder did not and does not contain cancer-causing asbestos. However, a lawsuit in Missouri against the company used unsealed emails as evidence that it was aware of the dangers.
The emails revealed that scientists wrote a report in 2009 that highlighted potential health risks, but J&J told them to change the information. This ultimately led to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration not adding cancer warnings to the talcum powder.
"[Johnson & Johnson] knew of the presence of asbestos in products that they knowingly targeted for sale to mothers and babies, knew of the damage their products caused and misrepresented the safety of these products for decades."
Burlison made that comment when overseeing the lawsuit involving 22 women with ovarian cancer. Because the company knew about the health risks, the initial verdict of the case was $4.7 billion.
Inquiries Into Talc Contamination
Judges are not the only ones putting pressure on J&J. Federal agencies, members of Congress, the media and health-related organizations are also asking the company to take responsibility.
Johnson & Johnson has received inquiries and subpoenas from the U.S. Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission. U.S. Senators — including Patty Murray and Ed Markey — have contacted J&J and requested that the FDA take action.
Black Women for Wellness accused the company of marketing its talc to African Americans and other ethnic groups. The organization has called for advocacy groups to take action. HBO Max also streamed a documentary, “Not So Pretty,” highlighting talcum powder’s dangers.
Editor Lindsay Donaldson contributed to this article.
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United States Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of Texas, Houston Division. (2024, October 21). Motion of the United States Trustee to Dismiss Case. Retrieved from https://ecf.txsb.uscourts.gov/doc1/178151659736
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