The Johnson & Johnson talc lawsuits are a mass tort covering more than 68,000 pending federal cases alleging that the company’s talc-based Baby Powder and Shower to Shower products contained asbestos and caused ovarian cancer and mesothelioma. As of mid-2026, the cases sit in multidistrict litigation in New Jersey after three failed attempts by J&J to resolve them through bankruptcy. Juries have returned billion-dollar verdicts, 42 state attorneys general have secured a $700 million consumer-protection settlement, and no global deal is in place.
What Plaintiffs Say J&J Did
The claims come down to two things. First, that J&J’s talc products were contaminated with asbestos, a known carcinogen that occurs naturally near talc deposits. Second, that the company knew about the contamination for decades and did not tell regulators or consumers.
A 2018 Reuters investigation reviewed internal memos, lab reports, and depositions from the early 1970s through the 2000s showing that raw talc and finished powders occasionally tested positive for asbestos and that executives, scientists, and lawyers inside the company were aware.1Reuters. J&J Knew for Decades That Asbestos Lurked in Its Baby Powder A separate review of more than 1,000 tests produced in litigation found 686 positive results for asbestos in cosmetic talcs between 1948 and 2017.2National Library of Medicine. Cosmetic Talc as a Cause of Mesothelioma
One episode has been central. In 1976, J&J told the FDA that no asbestos had been detected in product samples from 1972 to 1973 while withholding results from at least three laboratories that had found asbestos in the same period. A New Jersey Superior Court judge later called this “a form of a misrepresentation by omission.”1Reuters. J&J Knew for Decades That Asbestos Lurked in Its Baby Powder
On the science, a May 2024 analysis in the Journal of Clinical Oncology found that genital use of talc powder was associated with ovarian cancer, with higher risks tied to frequent or long-term use.3NBC News. Talc Baby Powder Linked to Ovarian Cancer J&J disputes the findings, maintains its products are safe and have never contained asbestos, and points to thousands of independent tests. The company discontinued talc-based Baby Powder in the U.S. and Canada in 2020 and globally in 2023, moving to cornstarch formulas.4BBC News. Johnson & Johnson to Stop Selling Talc Baby Powder Globally
Notable Jury Verdicts
Juries in state and federal courts have returned some of the largest product-liability awards in recent memory. The company has appealed most of them, and several have been reduced or overturned.
- A St. Louis jury awarded $4.69 billion in July 2018 to 22 women who alleged talc caused their ovarian cancer, the first successful claim that J&J’s talc contained asbestos. A state appeals court reduced the award to about $2.1 billion, and in June 2021 the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear J&J’s appeal.5NPR. Supreme Court Declines to Hear Johnson & Johnson Talc Verdict Appeal
- A Baltimore jury awarded $1.56 billion in December 2025 to Cherie Craft, who alleged peritoneal mesothelioma from asbestos-contaminated talc. The award included $1 billion in punitive damages against J&J and $500 million against subsidiary Pecos River Talc LLC, and it stands as the largest individual award in the litigation.6Reuters. J&J Vows Appeal After Record $1.5 Billion Talc Cancer Award
- A California jury awarded $966 million to the family of a mesothelioma victim. A judge later vacated $950 million of the punitive damages, leaving $16 million in compensatory damages.7Drugwatch. Talcum Powder Settlements
- A Suffolk Superior Court jury in Boston awarded $83 million in September 2025, including $60 million in punitive damages, in Estate of Lapointe v. American Art Clay Company, Inc.8Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. J&J Talc Cancer Verdicts
- A Minneapolis jury awarded $65.5 million in a mesothelioma case in December 2025.8Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. J&J Talc Cancer Verdicts
- A Cook County jury in Chicago in April 2024 awarded $45 million in the death of Theresa Garcia, finding Kenvue 70% responsible and J&J 30% responsible.9NJBiz. Johnson & Johnson, Kenvue Ordered to Pay $45M in Baby Powder Lawsuit
Results are not uniformly for plaintiffs. In June 2026, a Los Angeles jury awarded $32 million in a mesothelioma case while a separate Los Angeles jury returned a defense verdict in an ovarian cancer bellwether trial the same week.10TorHoerman Law. Johnson and Johnson Talcum Powder Lawsuit
The $700 Million Multistate Settlement
In June 2024, a bipartisan coalition of 42 state attorneys general and the District of Columbia, led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, announced a $700 million settlement with J&J over deceptive marketing of its talc products. The states alleged the company misrepresented the safety of its talc-based products and failed to disclose the potential presence of asbestos.11California Attorney General. Attorney General Bonta Secures $700 Million Settlement With Johnson & Johnson
Under the terms, J&J is permanently barred from manufacturing, marketing, selling, or distributing talc-based products in the United States and must pay the $700 million to participating states over three years. New York, for instance, is set to receive $44 million.12Office of the New York Attorney General. Attorney General James Helps Secure $700 Million From Johnson & Johnson The settlement resolves regulatory and consumer-protection claims only. It does not touch the tens of thousands of individual personal-injury lawsuits, and money from it does not flow to individual cancer claimants.
Three Bankruptcy Attempts, Three Rejections
J&J tried three times to move the litigation out of the courts and into bankruptcy using a maneuver called the “Texas Two-Step.” Under Texas law, a corporation can split itself through a divisional merger into one entity that keeps the valuable assets and another that absorbs the liabilities. The liability entity then files for Chapter 11, triggering an automatic stay that freezes lawsuits against the parent. Courts rejected the tactic each time.
LTL Management: The First Two Filings
In October 2021, J&J transferred its talc liabilities to a new subsidiary, LTL Management, LLC, which immediately filed for Chapter 11. The Third Circuit dismissed the case in January 2023, holding that LTL was not in “financial distress” and could not access bankruptcy protection. The court described J&J’s funding agreement with LTL as “an ATM disguised as a contract.”13U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. In Re LTL Management LLC
LTL refiled after amending the funding agreement to reduce available assets to about $30 billion. The New Jersey Bankruptcy Court again dismissed, and on June 25, 2024, the Third Circuit affirmed, concluding that LTL’s projections of future liabilities were “dramatically at odds with the historical run rates” for settlements and trial costs.14Goldberg Segalla. Third Circuit Affirms Dismissal of LTL Management Second Chapter 11 Petition
Red River Talc: The Third Filing
In September 2024, J&J tried a new subsidiary, Red River Talc LLC, which filed a prepackaged Chapter 11 in the Southern District of Texas. The proposal offered roughly $8 billion in present value, or about $10 billion in nominal payments over 25 years, to resolve ovarian cancer claims. J&J said more than 75% of claimants voted for the plan.15Johnson & Johnson. Red River Talc LLC Files Voluntary Prepackaged Chapter 11
Bankruptcy Judge Christopher López rejected the plan in March 2025. He found that plaintiffs’ law firms had cast tens of thousands of votes without direct client authorization, that claimants had unreasonably short time to vote, and that a last-minute vote switch violated the tabulation procedures in the disclosure statement. The plan also contained what he called “impermissible nonconsensual third-party releases” that would have shielded J&J and hundreds of retailers from future lawsuits without giving claimants an opt-in or opt-out. “There is no real company or jobs to save here,” the judge wrote.16Bailey Glasser. In Re Red River Talc LLC, Memorandum Decision and Order J&J said it would not appeal and would return to the tort system to contest claims individually.17Asbestos.com. Judge Rejects J&J Settlement
Where the Litigation Stands Now
With the bankruptcy path closed, the cases are back in court. As of June 2026, 68,029 cases are pending in the federal MDL (No. 2738) before U.S. District Judge Michael Shipp in New Jersey.18U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. Johnson & Johnson Talcum Powder Litigation Veteran mediator Fouad Kurdi was appointed in March 2026 to oversee settlement discussions, and Judge Shipp has required both sides to send representatives with “actual settlement authority.” A global deal is not considered imminent. The parties have not agreed on a total figure, and J&J has publicly said it is preparing for trial.19Miller & Zois. Talcum Powder Lawsuit
Bellwether trials continue in both state and federal courts. Industry estimates suggest that if a global settlement is reached, individual payouts could average around $500,000, though actual amounts would vary widely based on diagnosis, medical costs, and evidence linking the illness to J&J products.20ConsumerNotice.org. Talcum Powder Settlements Bloomberg Intelligence analysts have estimated J&J may ultimately need to pay up to $11 billion to resolve all claims.7Drugwatch. Talcum Powder Settlements
Who Can Be Sued: Kenvue and International Claims
In 2023, J&J spun off its consumer health business into Kenvue, a separate publicly traded company that took brands including Neutrogena, Listerine, and Tylenol. J&J agreed to keep all talc-related liabilities in the United States and Canada and to indemnify Kenvue for costs in those markets.9NJBiz. Johnson & Johnson, Kenvue Ordered to Pay $45M in Baby Powder Lawsuit
That indemnity has not fully insulated Kenvue. The Chicago jury in April 2024 found Kenvue 70% responsible in the Garcia case. According to J&J, Kenvue “retained the responsibility and any purported liability for talc-related litigation outside of the United States and Canada.” In October 2025, a lawsuit representing more than 3,000 claimants alleging talc-related illnesses between 1965 and 2023 was filed in the English High Court against both J&J and Kenvue UK Limited, with an estimated value of roughly £1 billion.21Yahoo Finance. Kenvue Stock Falls on UK Talc Lawsuit In the federal MDL, Judge Shipp ruled in August 2025 that plaintiffs could add Kenvue and other J&J affiliates as defendants in the master complaint.22New Jersey Law Journal. MDL Judge Allows Talc Plaintiffs to Sue Additional Johnson & Johnson Affiliates