Johnson and Johnson Lawsuit
Thousands of lawsuits have been filed against Johnson & Johnson, alleging the company’s talc products were contaminated with asbestos and caused illnesses like mesothelioma and ovarian cancer. These lawsuits claim J&J knew the risks but failed to warn consumers to keep making money. See if we may be able to help you or a loved one seek compensation from a Johnson and Johnson lawsuit.
Why Take Legal Action?
By filing a product liability lawsuit, you can pursue financial compensation and justice from the companies that caused you or a loved one harm.
Results Secured
- $40 million for a veteran exposed to asbestos from Goodyear gaskets
- $1.16 million for a Roundup® victim in North Dakota
- $575,000 for a man in Florida who suffered chemical burns from Just for Men® hair dye
Johnson and Johnson Lawsuit Update 2025
As early as the 1970s, Johnson & Johnson knew its talc products may contain the carcinogen asbestos, according to J&J’s own internal documents. However, the billion-dollar company hid this information to protect its profits.
Now, thousands of consumers who developed cancer after using J&J products are making their voices heard by taking legal action against the company.
The Latest News on the Johnson & Johnson Talcum Powder Lawsuit
- Over 62,000 Johnson & Johnson talc lawsuits have been filed as of April 2025.
- Johnson & Johnson talcum powder brands named in these lawsuits include Johnson’s® Baby Powder and Shower to Shower®.
- Asbestos-contaminated talc can cause serious diseases like ovarian cancer, mesothelioma, and lung cancer.
- J&J has paid billions of dollars to victims through talcum powder settlements and trial verdicts.
J&J proposed an $8 billion settlement to resolve current and future ovarian cancer claims, but a bankruptcy court rejected the offer in March 2025. This was the company’s third failed attempt to dodge accountability through bankruptcy.
LawFirm.com works with talcum powder lawyers who can even the playing field for everyday people and hold Johnson & Johnson accountable for harming them.
Our legal partners have secured over $10.2 billion for asbestos victims across the country. They never charge any upfront costs or hourly fees and can help families in all 50 states.
Get a free case review now to see if we may be able to help you seek compensation from a Johnson and Johnson lawsuit.
Johnson & Johnson Settlement and Verdict Amounts
Since the first Johnson and Johnson lawsuit was filed more than 25 years ago, J&J has paid billions of dollars to victims — all while maintaining its products are safe.
Notable J&J talcum powder lawsuit payouts include:
- $4.69 billion (later reduced to $2.1 billion) to 22 women who filed a Johnson and Johnson class action lawsuit for ovarian cancer
- $417 million awarded by a California jury to a woman who developed ovarian cancer after using Johnson and Johnson baby powder (a new trial has been ordered)
- $260 million to an Oregon woman diagnosed with mesothelioma
- $117 million for a New Jersey couple following a mesothelioma diagnosis
- $110 million to a Virginia woman with ovarian cancer who used Johnson and Johnson talcum powder for decades
- $72 million for the family of an Alabama woman who passed away from ovarian cancer
- $29 million to a woman diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma
- $15 million for a man in Connecticut who developed mesothelioma after years of J&J talcum powder use
- $70 million awarded by a jury to a victim diagnosed with ovarian cancer at age 59
- $45 million against J&J and its subsidiary Kenvue Inc. in a Johnson and Johnson lawsuit for the wrongful death of an Illinois woman with mesothelioma
- $18.8 million to a 24-year-old man in California with mesothelioma
- $325 million for a New York woman and her husband in a mesothelioma lawsuit (later lowered to $120 million before being overturned)
While courts across the country have awarded substantial compensation to those who’ve been harmed, new Johnson and Johnson lawsuits continue to be filed.
It’s not too late to take legal action and pursue the compensation and justice you deserve.
Call (888) 726-9160 right now or chat with a case manager to see if you may be eligible for compensation from a Johnson and Johnson lawsuit.
Who Is Eligible for a Johnson & Johnson Lawsuit?
You may be eligible for a Johnson and Johnson lawsuit if you or a loved one:
- Regularly used Johnson and Johnson talc products
- Later developed ovarian cancer, mesothelioma, or lung cancer
Family members may be able to file a Johnson and Johnson lawsuit for wrongful death if a loved one has passed away. Compensation can help cover medical expenses, funeral costs, and more.
Even if you don’t know how you were exposed, you still may be able to file an asbestos lawsuit. The talcum powder lawyers in our network have the resources to identify the products that made you sick and the companies that made them.
How to File a Johnson and Johnson Talcum Powder Lawsuit
Talcum powder lawyers understand the physical and emotional toll a cancer diagnosis can take, especially when a product you trusted to be safe caused harm. They handle all the legal work involved in a J&J lawsuit, so you can focus on your health.
Find out more about the basic steps involved in working with an attorney to file a Johnson and Johnson lawsuit.
1. Get a Free Case Review
Top asbestos lawyers offer free consultations to determine your eligibility to file a Johnson and Johnson lawsuit. This allows you to learn about your legal options without any financial risk.
Get a free case review right now to take the first step toward the justice and compensation you deserve.
2. Gather Evidence
Your talcum powder lawyer and their team will collect evidence linking your cancer to Johnson and Johnson baby powder or talcum powder.
Evidence for a Johnson and Johnson baby powder lawsuit may include:
- Information on the Johnson and Johnson talc products you used
- Medical records related to your cancer diagnosis
- Reports from medical experts linking your cancer to asbestos in talc
The attorneys in our network have handled thousands of asbestos cases, so it’s likely they’ve worked on a case similar to yours.
3. File Your J&J Talcum Powder Lawsuit
Once a strong case has been built, your lawyer will file your Johnson and Johnson lawsuit in the proper court before any legal deadlines.
Talcum powder lawsuits have filing deadlines called statutes of limitations, which limit how much time you have to take legal action. To protect your right to seek compensation, it’s important that you reach out to a personal injury attorney as soon as possible.
4. Secure a Johnson & Johnson Settlement
Your legal team will work to negotiate a Johnson and Johnson talc settlement that can help with your medical bills and more. Talcum powder settlements typically provide faster access to compensation than trial verdicts — often without going to court.
However, if a settlement is unable to be reached, your team will be prepared to present your case in court and fight for maximum compensation.
Johnson and Johnson Lawsuit Update: 2024-2025
Johnson & Johnson has been named in tens of thousands of lawsuits accusing the pharmaceutical giant of covering up asbestos risks associated with its products.
The company has reacted by challenging court awards and even filing for bankruptcy multiple times, which would prevent victims from suing. Find out about the latest J&J news.
- March 2025: A judge rejects J&J’s third bankruptcy filing, which proposed an $8 billion settlement to resolve tens of thousands of ovarian cancer claims.
- February 2025: The U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services and Veterans Affairs object to J&J’s bankruptcy plan, claiming it would prevent them from getting reimbursed under Medicaid and Medicare for care given to asbestos talc victims.
- January 2025: J&J’s third bankruptcy trial is delayed and pushed to February 2025.
- December 2024: A judge halts all pending talc ovarian cancer claims in the Johnson and Johnson class action lawsuit or multidistrict litigation while the company’s bankruptcy case proceeds.
- November 2024: As the latest Johnson and Johnson lawsuit ends in a victory for a cancer patient, J&J is on the hook for a total of $320 million stemming from mesothelioma lawsuit verdicts in 2024 alone.
- October 2024: J&J subsidiary Red River Talc files for bankruptcy as part of the company’s $8 billion third settlement proposal.
- September 2024: Johnson & Johnson is reportedly adding an extra $1.1 billion to its current $6.48 billion talc settlement proposal in an effort to secure more support for its bankruptcy plan.
- August 2024: A federal appeals court upholds a lower court’s decision to end J&J’s previous attempts to resolve its talc liabilities through bankruptcy.
- July 2024: Plaintiffs in the Johnson and Johnson lawsuit for ovarian cancer have until July 26 to vote to accept or reject the company’s settlement proposal. At least 75% of plaintiffs must approve of the proposal for it to pass.
- June 2024: In another blow to J&J, an Oregon woman with mesothelioma is awarded $260 million after using different brands of talcum powder manufactured by the company before getting sick.
- May 2024: Johnson and Johnson proposes a $6.48 billion settlement to resolve all current and future ovarian cancer claims filed against it.
- April 2024: A family is awarded $45 million in a Johnson and Johnson lawsuit involving the wrongful death of a user with mesothelioma.
- December 2023: Over 50,000 claims are pending in the Johnson and Johnson class action or multidistrict litigation. The plaintiffs maintain J&J’s talc products were contaminated with asbestos and caused cancer.
- July 2023: A judge dismisses J&J’s second bankruptcy attempt on the grounds that the company is not experiencing financial hardship.
- April 2023: J&J proposes $8.9 billion to settle thousands of talcum powder lawsuits, but opponents claim the offer falls short and won’t fairly compensate victims.
LawFirm.com is committed to providing readers with the latest Johnson and Johnson lawsuit update, so you know what to expect as the litigation moves forward.
If you or a loved one has been affected, we may be able to help. Find out your eligibility to file a Johnson and Johnson cancer lawsuit with a free case review.
Key Moments in the Johnson and Johnson Litigation
For decades, Johnson and Johnson has been battling lawsuits alleging that the company knew its products contained asbestos and had the potential to cause cancer but hid this information from the public.
Find out more about key developments in the Johnson & Johnson litigation:
- 1950s: A lab found that talc J&J sourced from an Italian supplier contained a type of asbestos known as tremolite.
- 1967: J&J discovered asbestos in one of its talc mines in Vermont.
- 1971: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) launched an investigation into asbestos in talcum powders after asbestos fibers were found in two brands.
- 1972-1975: J&J’s own internal tests detected asbestos in its talc, even though the company publicly denied its products contained the cancer-causing mineral.
- 1973: Johnson and Johnson applied for patents on a process to remove asbestos from talc, suggesting it knew of the risk of contamination.
- 1980: J&J began offering a formulation of its iconic baby powder that used cornstarch instead of talc.
- 1997: The first Johnson and Johnson lawsuit was filed but later dropped as there wasn’t enough evidence at the time to link the company’s talc products to a woman’s mesothelioma.
- 2009: The first Johnson and Johnson ovarian cancer lawsuit was filed. While the plaintiff would win her case, the jury did not award damages.
- 2016: A jury awarded a cancer victim $72 million in a product liability lawsuit against J&J, handing the company its first major talc-related loss.
- 2018: A Missouri jury awarded $4.7 billion to 22 women who claimed asbestos in J&J’s talcum powder caused their ovarian cancer diagnoses. While the verdict was later reduced, the outcome sparked a flood of talc lawsuits.
- 2019: Johnson and Johnson voluntarily recalled a certain lot of its baby powder after the FDA detected asbestos in a sample.
- 2020: J&J announced it would stop selling talc-based baby powder in North America and transitioned to a cornstarch-based formula.
- 2021: Johnson & Johnson created a subsidiary, LTL Management, in an effort to offload its talc liabilities through bankruptcy. Ultimately, J&J would try this tactic, known as the “Texas two-step,” three separate times — and fail with each attempt.
- 2023: J&J stopped using talc in asbestos, switching to cornstarch, in products sold worldwide.
To this day, Johnson and Johnson denies its talc products cause harm, despite tens of thousands of lawsuits filed by cancer patients and their families that say otherwise.
Get Help Filing a Johnson and Johnson Talc Lawsuit
Johnson & Johnson marketed its talc products as being gentle and safe enough for even a baby. However, J&J’s own internal documents indicate that the company knew of the risk of asbestos contamination and prioritized profits over the safety of its customers.
LawFirm.com believes companies like Johnson & Johnson should be held accountable for the harm they cause. We’ve partnered with experienced talcum powder lawyers who have what it takes to stand up to this powerful company and level the playing field.
Our partner asbestos attorneys:
- Are able to help families in all 50 states
- Can handle all of the legal work involved in seeking a Johnson and Johnson asbestos settlement
- Have secured over $10.2 billion for victims nationwide
- Never charge any upfront costs or hourly fees
Call (888) 726-9160 right now or fill out our online form to see if one of our trusted legal partners may be able to seek compensation for you.
Johnson and Johnson Lawsuit FAQs
Why was Johnson and Johnson sued?
Johnson and Johnson was sued by claimants who allege that the company’s talcum powder products, including its popular Johnson & Johnson baby powder, contained asbestos and caused ovarian cancer, mesothelioma, and other cancers.
If you or a loved one were harmed, we may be able to help you file a Johnson and Johnson lawsuit. Get started with a free case review.
What is the lawsuit against Johnson and Johnson?
Johnson & Johnson faces tens of thousands of lawsuits centered on its talc-based products. The lawsuits allege J&J talcum powders were contaminated with asbestos and caused cancers like mesothelioma and ovarian cancer.
As of April 2025, over 58,000 talc claims have been consolidated in a type of Johnson and Johnson class action lawsuit known as a multidistrict litigation (MDL).
The mass tort, In re Johnson & Johnson Talcum Powder Products Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation (MDL-2738), is pending in a federal court in New Jersey.
Is Johnson and Johnson baby powder safe?
Baby powder that contains talc may be contaminated with asbestos, a known carcinogen. Consumers who come in contact with microscopic asbestos fibers can develop cancers like mesothelioma and ovarian cancer later in life.
While Johnson and Johnson has since replaced talc with cornstarch in its iconic J&J’s baby powder, the change may have come too late for those already exposed. A Johnson and Johnson baby powder lawsuit payout can help victims cover their medical bills and more.
Does Johnson and Johnson baby powder cause cancer?
Johnson and Johnson baby powder may cause cancer if it contains asbestos fibers. The American Cancer Society and other public health groups generally agree that talc that contains asbestos can cause cancer.
Since talc often occurs in nature near asbestos, there’s a risk of contamination during mining. J&J’s own corporate documents — along with FDA tests — confirm the presence of asbestos in samples of Johnson’s baby powder.
Call (888) 726-9160 now or chat with a case manager to see if you may be eligible for compensation from a Johnson and Johnson baby powder lawsuit.

Fact-Checked and Legally Reviewed by: Rae Theodore
Rae Theodore is a writer and editor with more than 30 years of experience in legal publishing. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Pennsylvania State University.
- American Cancer Society. (2024, August 1). “Talcum Powder and Cancer.” Retrieved from https://www.cancer.org/cancer/risk-prevention/chemicals/talcum-powder-and-cancer.html.
- BBC. (2022, August 11). “Johnson & Johnson to replace talc-based powder with cornstarch.”
Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/business-62514263. - CNBC. (2019, October 24). “Walmart, CVS, Rite Aid pull J&J baby powder from shelves after FDA finds sub-trace levels of asbestos.” Retrieved from https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/24/cvs-pulls-all-jj-22-ounce-baby-powder-from-shelves-after-fda-finds-sub-trace-levels-of-asbestos.html.
- Johnson & Johnson. (2022, August 11). “Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health to Transition Global Baby Powder Portfolio to Cornstarch.” Retrieved from https://www.jnj.com/media-center/press-releases/johnson-johnson-consumer-health-to-transition-global-baby-powder-portfolio-to-cornstarch#.
- NPR. (2020, May 19). “Johnson & Johnson Stops Selling Talc-Based Baby Powder in U.S. and Canada.” Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2020/05/19/859182015/johnson-johnson-stops-selling-talc-based-baby-powder-in-u-s-and-canada.
- National Library of Medicine. (2020, September). “Baby Powders and the Precautionary Principle.” Retrieved from https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7427246/.
- NBC News. (2024, May 18). “Study links talc use to ovarian cancer — a potential boon for thousands suing J&J.” Retrieved from https://www.nbcnews.com/health/cancer/talc-baby-powder-linked-ovarian-cancer-jj-lawsuit-rcna152493.
- Pharmaceutical Processing World. (2023, July 31). “Timeline: Navigating Johnson & Johnson’s talc lawsuits and their stock performance impact.” Retrieved from https://www.pharmaceuticalprocessingworld.com/timeline-navigating-johnson-johnsons-talc-lawsuits-and-their-stock-performance-impact/.
- PubMed. (2020, February). “Serous Ovarian Cancer Caused by Exposure to Asbestos and Fibrous Talc in Cosmetic Talc Powders-A Case Series.” Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31868762/.
- Reuters. (2023, July 18). “J&J must pay $18.8 million to California cancer patient in baby powder suit.” Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/legal/jj-must-pay-188-mln-california-cancer-patient-baby-powder-suit-2023-07-18/.
- Reuters. (2023, November 16). J&J settles first talc cases to go to trial after failed bankruptcies. Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/legal/jj-settles-first-talc-cases-go-trial-after-failed-bankruptcies-2023-11-16/.
- Reuters. (2024, June 11). New York sues Johnson & Johnson over talc-based baby powder. Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/legal/new-york-sues-johnson-johnson-2024-06-11/.
- Reuters. (2025, April 2). “J&J is back on the legal warpath after striking out in baby powder bankruptcy.” Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/jj-is-back-legal-warpath-after-striking-out-baby-powder-bankruptcy-2025-04-02/.
- Reuters. (2018, December 14). “Johnson & Johnson knew for decades that asbestos lurked in its Baby Powder.” Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/johnsonandjohnson-cancer/.
- Sokolove Law. (2025, April 1). “Johnson & Johnson Talcum Powder Lawsuit.” Retrieved from https://www.sokolovelaw.com/product-liability/talcum-powder/johnson-and-johnson/.
- The University of Chicago Business Law Review. (2023). “Court Rejects Johnson & Johnson’s Use of the “Texas Two-Step” to Tackle Baby Powder Liability.” Retrieved from https://businesslawreview.uchicago.edu/online-archive/court-rejects-johnson-johnsons-use-texas-two-step-tackle-baby-powder-liability.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2019, October 18). “Baby powder manufacturer voluntarily recalls products for asbestos.” Retrieved from https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/baby-powder-manufacturer-voluntarily-recalls-products-asbestos.
- U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation. (2025, April 1). “MDL Statistics Report – Distribution of Pending MDL Dockets by District.” Retrieved from https://www.jpml.uscourts.gov/sites/jpml/files/Pending_MDL_Dockets_By_District-April-1-2025.pdf.