The Johnson & Johnson talc lawsuits are a sprawling body of product-liability litigation alleging that the company’s talc-based Baby Powder and Shower to Shower products caused ovarian cancer and mesothelioma. As of mid-2026, roughly 67,600 to 68,000 personal-injury cases remain pending in the federal multidistrict litigation in New Jersey, no global settlement has been reached, three attempts by J&J to resolve the claims through bankruptcy have been dismissed, and the company continues to deny that its talc products cause cancer.1Motley Rice. Talcum Powder Lawsuit
What the Lawsuits Allege
Plaintiffs claim that decades of using J&J’s talc products for feminine hygiene or general body powder exposed them to asbestos and caused ovarian cancer or mesothelioma, and that J&J failed to warn consumers of the risk. Federal cases were consolidated in October 2016 into MDL 2738 in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey under Judge Michael A. Shipp.1Motley Rice. Talcum Powder Lawsuit Thousands more cases have been filed in state courts, with St. Louis becoming a focal venue in the early years of the litigation.2National Center for Biotechnology Information. Talcum Powder Litigation
The Largest Verdicts and How They Have Fared
Jury awards in these cases have ranged from tens of millions to billions of dollars, though many of the largest have been reduced or overturned.
The $4.69 Billion Missouri Verdict
In July 2018, a St. Louis jury awarded 22 women and their families $4.69 billion after a six-week trial, consisting of $550 million in compensatory damages ($25 million per plaintiff) and $4.14 billion in punitive damages. Six of the 22 plaintiffs had died of ovarian cancer before the trial; five more died afterward.3The New York Times. Johnson & Johnson Ordered to Pay $4.69 Billion in Talcum Powder Case In June 2020, a Missouri appellate court upheld the verdict but reduced it to $2.12 billion after removing two plaintiffs who lacked sufficient ties to Missouri and applying Supreme Court precedent on the ratio of punitive to compensatory damages. The three-judge panel described J&J’s conduct as “reprehensible,” “outrageous,” and motivated by “evil motive or reckless indifference.”4The Lanier Law Firm. Missouri Appellate Court Finds Reprehensible Conduct by J&J in $2.1 Billion Verdict
The $1.5 Billion Baltimore Mesothelioma Verdict
In December 2025, a Baltimore jury awarded Cherie Craft over $1.5 billion after finding that J&J’s talc-based baby powder contained asbestos that caused her peritoneal mesothelioma, diagnosed in January 2024. The award included roughly $59.8 million in compensatory damages, $1 billion in punitive damages against J&J, and $500 million against a subsidiary. J&J called the verdict “egregious” and “patently unconstitutional” and said it would appeal.5Reuters. J&J Vows Appeal After Record $1.5 Billion Talc Cancer Award6The Daily Record. Baltimore Jury Johnson & Johnson Talc Mesothelioma Verdict
Earlier Nine-Figure Awards
Missouri juries awarded $72 million to the family of Jacqueline Fox in February 2016 and $110 million to Lois Slemp in May 2017.7Your Legal Justice. Talcum Powder Cancer Timeline8Reuters. J&J Ordered to Pay $110 Million in Talc Powder Trial Both were later thrown out on personal jurisdiction grounds after the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 2017 decision in Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. v. Superior Court of California limited where non-resident plaintiffs could sue.9STAT News. Appeals Court Vacates Talcum Powder Verdict10Bryant PSC. Talcum Powder Verdicts A Los Angeles jury awarded Eva Echeverria $417 million in August 2017, but Judge Maren Nelson overturned the award in October 2017, ruling that the plaintiff had not established causation “with a reasonable medical probability based upon competent expert testimony.”11The National Trial Lawyers. California Jury Awards $417 Million Against J&J in Talc Cancer Trial12Cure Today. Judge Tosses $417 Million Award in Ovarian Cancer Lawsuit Against Johnson & Johnson
Recent Mixed Results
A December 2025 ovarian cancer bellwether produced a $40 million plaintiff verdict. In October 2025, a California jury awarded $966 million in a mesothelioma case, but a judge later vacated $950 million in punitive damages, leaving $16 million in compensatory damages. In June 2026, a Los Angeles jury awarded $32 million in another mesothelioma case, while a separate Los Angeles jury returned a defense verdict in an ovarian cancer trial.13Drugwatch. Talcum Powder Settlements
What Internal Documents Revealed
Much of the pressure on J&J has come from internal records unsealed in discovery. A Reuters investigation published in December 2018 concluded that the company knew for decades that asbestos sometimes turned up in its raw talc and finished powders.14Reuters. J&J Knew for Decades That Asbestos Lurked in Its Baby Powder
Reports from 1957 and 1958 identified contaminants in J&J’s Italian talc as fibrous, needle-like tremolite, a form of asbestos. A 1969 memo from executive William Ashton stated that “Historically, in our Company, Tremolite has been bad.” A 1973 report by research director DeWitt Petterson concluded that “no final product will ever be made which will be totally free from respirable particles.”14Reuters. J&J Knew for Decades That Asbestos Lurked in Its Baby Powder
In 1976, J&J told the FDA that testing between 1972 and 1973 found no asbestos. Internal records showed that the company did not disclose at least three tests from three different labs conducted between 1972 and 1975 that detected asbestos, in one instance at levels described as “rather high.” A New Jersey Superior Court judge in 2018 called this “a form of a misrepresentation by omission.” J&J’s share price dropped 10% within hours of the Reuters report.14Reuters. J&J Knew for Decades That Asbestos Lurked in Its Baby Powder15The BMJ. Johnson & Johnson Talc Investigation
Separate Reuters reporting and a 2021 lawsuit by the National Council of Negro Women brought out marketing documents showing J&J had specifically targeted Black and Hispanic women. A 2006 internal presentation identified “under developed geographical areas with hot weather, and higher AA [African-American] population” as the “right place” to focus sales, and the company contracted to distribute 100,000 gift bags of Baby Powder through churches, beauty salons, and barber shops in African-American and Hispanic neighborhoods. J&J denied the allegations, calling the suggestion that it targeted any group with a harmful product “incredibly offensive and patently false.”16Reuters. J&J Marketing Investigation
The $700 Million Multistate Settlement
In June 2024, a coalition of 42 state attorneys general and the District of Columbia reached a $700 million settlement with J&J over allegations that the company deceptively marketed its talc products, misled consumers about their safety and purity, and specifically targeted beauty salons and churches in communities of color. The settlement permanently bars J&J from manufacturing, selling, or distributing any talc-containing products in the United States.17Office of the Attorney General of California. Attorney General Bonta Secures $700 Million Settlement from Johnson & Johnson18Office of the New York Attorney General. Attorney General James Helps Secure $700 Million from Johnson & Johnson Over Products It is separate from the individual personal-injury lawsuits and does not resolve them.
Three Failed Bankruptcy Attempts
Rather than settle individual claims, J&J pursued a corporate maneuver known as the “Texas two-step.” In October 2021, it split its consumer health subsidiary into two entities and placed talc-related liabilities into a new company, LTL Management, which immediately filed for Chapter 11. The filing paused tens of thousands of lawsuits.19Columbia Business Law Review. Texas Two-Step Bankruptcy Strategy The strategy failed three times:
- The first filing (October 2021) was dismissed after the Third Circuit ruled that LTL Management lacked “financial distress” because it was backed by J&J’s assets.20Cadwalader. Third Circuit Dismisses J&J Affiliate LTL’s Talc Liability Chapter 11 Filing
- The second filing (April 2023) came with a $30 billion funding commitment. Chief Bankruptcy Judge Michael Kaplan dismissed the case in July 2023, again finding a lack of immediate financial distress, and the Third Circuit affirmed.19Columbia Business Law Review. Texas Two-Step Bankruptcy Strategy
- The third filing (September 2024) used a new entity, Red River Talc LLC, which filed a pre-packaged Chapter 11 plan in the Southern District of Texas proposing roughly $9 billion to resolve claims. On March 31, 2025, Judge Christopher Lopez dismissed the case in a 57-page opinion citing “fatal flaws” in the voting process, noting that at least half of the more than 90,000 votes cast “cannot count” due to improper procedures, inadequate notice, and unreasonable response times. The judge also ruled that the plan’s involuntary third-party releases violated the Supreme Court’s ruling in Harrington v. Purdue Pharma.21Creditor Coalition. Red River Talc Finally Says Good-Bye to Bankruptcy22Law360. J&J Talc Spinoff’s Ch. 11 Case Gets Tossed, Erasing $9B Deal
After the third dismissal, J&J announced it would not appeal or file another bankruptcy case, returning the litigation to the traditional court system. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene in the disputes surrounding the bankruptcy proceedings.21Creditor Coalition. Red River Talc Finally Says Good-Bye to Bankruptcy23Legal Dive. Johnson and Johnson Talc Bankruptcy
Product Withdrawal and Regulatory Shifts
J&J stopped selling talc-based Baby Powder in the United States and Canada in 2020, citing declining demand and what it called “misinformation around the safety of the product and a constant barrage of litigation advertising.”24Johnson & Johnson. Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health Announces Discontinuation of Talc-Based Johnson’s Baby Powder in U.S. and Canada In August 2022, the company announced a global transition to cornstarch-based powder in 2023, framing the change as a “commercial decision” while maintaining that its talc products were safe.25Johnson & Johnson. Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health to Transition Global Baby Powder Portfolio to Cornstarch
In July 2024, the International Agency for Research on Cancer reclassified talc from “possibly carcinogenic to humans” (Group 2B) to “probably carcinogenic to humans” (Group 2A). The Working Group of 29 international experts cited limited evidence for cancer in humans (specifically ovarian cancer), sufficient evidence in experimental animals, and strong mechanistic evidence.26IARC. IARC Monographs Volume 136 – Talc and Acrylonitrile27IARC. Volume 136 – Talc and Acrylonitrile
The FDA proposed a rule in December 2024 that would require standardized testing for asbestos in talc-containing cosmetics using polarized light microscopy combined with transmission electron microscopy.28FDA. FDA Proposes Rule to Require Standardized Testing Methods for Detecting and Identifying Asbestos in Talc The agency withdrew the proposed rule in November 2025 to allow for further review of public comments before issuing a final regulation.29FDA. Talc
Where Things Stand for Plaintiffs
Approximately 67,600 to 68,000 plaintiffs remain in the federal MDL in New Jersey, with the court focused on pretrial motions and preparation for bellwether trials.1Motley Rice. Talcum Powder Lawsuit There is no global settlement of the individual personal-injury claims. Legal analysts have estimated that total payouts could eventually reach $11 billion, though J&J continues to contest liability and maintains that its talc products are safe and do not cause cancer. J&J’s talc supplier, Imerys Talc America, has been in its own Chapter 11 bankruptcy since February 2019, with a proposed $1.45 billion asbestos trust fund still awaiting court approval as of early 2026.30Kroll – Imerys Talc Case. Imerys Talc Bankruptcy