Johnson & Johnson Settles Talc Suits for $5.5 Billion

www.newsmax.com

Johnson & Johnson said on Monday it has reached a $5.5 billion settlement that will resolve tens of thousands of lawsuits alleging its baby powder and other talc products cause ovarian cancer.

Johnson & Johnson said the settlement will resolve about 69,000 cases consolidated in federal court ⁠and related cases in state court, totaling 99.75% of the remaining talc claims. Plaintiffs' ⁠law firms confirmed the deal on Monday, saying that it was a good resolution after a decadelong ‌court battle.

Johnson & Johnson won a significant court victory in ‌the long-running legal battle last week, when a federal ‌judge cast doubt on individual plaintiffs' ability to prove that talc specifically caused their ovarian cancer.

Johnson & Johnson ⁠has denied that ‌its talc ⁠products caused cancer, saying that talc was safe and ⁠did ⁠not contain asbestos. The company stopped selling talc-based baby powder ‌in the U.S. in 2020, switching to a cornstarch product.

The litigation resumed in March 2025, ‌after being put on hold ‌for more than three years during Johnson & Johnson's repeated failed attempts to resolve the lawsuits through a shell company's bankruptcy.

© 2026 Thomson/Reuters. All rights reserved.