A Los Angeles jury has awarded $40 million to two women who allege that Johnson & Johnson’s talcum powder caused their ovarian cancer.
In a decision announced Friday, the plaintiffs were granted $18 million to Monica Kent and $22 million to Deborah Schultz and her husband. Johnson & Johnson said it will appeal the liability ruling and the compensatory damages.
This outcome marks another chapter in a lengthy legal battle over claims that talc in Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower body powder was linked to ovarian cancer and mesothelioma, a cancer that can affect the lungs and other organs. The company discontinued selling talc-based powders worldwide in 2023.
Earlier in October, a separate California jury ordered J&J to pay $966 million to the family of a woman who died of mesothelioma, contending she developed the cancer due to asbestos-contaminated baby powder.
The company has faced ongoing litigation related to talc products. In this latest case, the verdict comes as J&J continues to navigate higher-profile claims in its talc litigation portfolio. Spokesperson Erik Haas noted that J&J had won 16 of 17 ovarian cancer cases it had tried and expressed confidence in prevailing on appeal, asserting that extensive independent scientific reviews have found talc to be safe, asbestos-free, and not a cancer risk. Haas also pointed out that Johnson & Johnson replaced talc with cornstarch in most North American baby powders in 2020 after sales declined.
In a related development, a U.S. bankruptcy judge in April rejected J&J’s plan to fund a $9 billion settlement to resolve ovarian and other gynecological cancer lawsuits stemming from talc products, underscoring the ongoing complexity of the talc litigation landscape.
