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Tue, 28 Jul 2026

Tue, 28 Jul 2026 Johnson & Johnson offers up to $5.5bn to settle US baby powder lawsuits

The proposed settlement aims to close a years-long legal battle over claims its talcs products cause cancer.
Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has offered a proposed settlement worth up to $5.5 billion to resolve lawsuits alleging that its baby powder and other talc-based products caused ovarian cancer. The company has denied these claims, stating that its products are safe and do not contain asbestos. As part of the deal, J&J will offer up to $3 billion next year, with no further payments due before 2028. To finalize the settlement, 95% of the affected plaintiffs' lawyers must accept it. The lawsuits have been ongoing since 2009, with J&J repeatedly asserting that its talc-based products are safe and do not cause cancer. In a recent statement, Erik Haas, J&J's vice president of litigation, described the allegations as "meritless" and stated that the company is confident it would have prevailed in court. However, in an effort to put the matter behind them, J&J has agreed to the proposed settlement. The move will allow the company to focus on its core mission of developing medicines and devices that save lives. It's worth noting that a federal court recently handed J&J a victory by questioning individual plaintiffs' ability to prove that talc was the direct cause of their ovarian cancer. The proposed resolution comes after J&J announced in 2022 that it would stop making and selling its talc-based baby powder worldwide, citing a commercial decision to transition to an all-cornstarch-based product portfolio.