Johnson & Johnson produced baby powder made with crushed talc. This mineral can become contaminated with asbestos when it's mined. J&J has faced multimillion-dollar lawsuits claiming ovarian cancer and mesothelioma as a result of using its baby powder.
Written by Whitney Ray Di Bona, Esq. | Edited by Walter Pacheco | Last Update:
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Johnson & Johnson continues to defend itself in court against new and ongoing mesothelioma lawsuits seeking compensation for exposure to asbestos-contaminated talc in its products. The company attempted to resolve litigation through bankruptcy reorganization under the Texas Two-Step, but the courts rejected these attempts 3 times. After the most recent rejection in April 2025, J&J announced it would abandon bankruptcy proceedings and instead defend each case individually in court.
Talc lawsuits aim to prove asbestos exposure during the use of J&J’s baby powder and other talc products. While the company claims to have settled 95% of mesothelioma cases, it has spent approximately $1 billion fighting litigation and still faces more than 60,000 ovarian cancer claims. Courts have awarded billions of dollars to people who successfully proved their asbestos exposure came from J&J’s talc-based products.
People diagnosed with asbestos-related cancers like mesothelioma and ovarian cancer benefit from early legal counsel to review their options for financial assistance for medical expenses, lost wages and other diagnosis-related costs.
Listen to our Podcast J&J on Trial: The Talc Litigation Story
Patient Advocate Danielle DiPietro joins attorney and Consumer Safety Advocate Whitney Di Bona for a revealing conversation about the dark legal legacy of Johnson & Johnson’s famous baby powder.
An experienced mesothelioma lawyer will navigate the complex legal process for you if you or a loved one has been exposed to Johnson & Johnson’s asbestos-contaminated talc. Your attorney will build a strong case based on medical evidence and product exposure history to secure compensation for you.
Patient Advocates understand the importance of working with a lawyer with a record of success in cases like yours. They also know how essential it is for you and your family to feel comfortable working with your legal team throughout the process. They’ll match you with respected legal professionals specializing in asbestos-contaminated talc cases and who will respect your needs and preferences.
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Start Your ClaimJohnson & Johnson reports settling 95% of the mesothelioma lawsuits it has faced, but plaintiffs continue filing new claims. In October 2025, a Los Angeles jury awarded a record $966 million to the family of Mae K. Moore in a wrongful death lawsuit against J&J, finding the company 100% responsible for her mesothelioma death from asbestos-contaminated talcum powder.
This historic talc verdict, the largest for an individual talc plaintiff, included $16 million in non-economic damages for Moore and her three daughters. It also included $950 million in punitive damages after the jury determined J&J acted with “malice, oppression or fraud.”
Court documents revealed decades of internal company records showing J&J allegedly knew since the 1930s about asbestos contamination in talc, failed to successfully remove it, withheld positive test results and destroyed evidence of asbestos findings. In March 2026, a Los Angeles judge overturned the punitive damages, though the jury’s finding that J&J caused Moore’s mesothelioma remains intact and her family plans to appeal.
The company pursued multiple bankruptcy strategies through subsidiaries in attempts to resolve the massive volume of remaining claims, particularly ovarian cancer lawsuits. A U.S. Bankruptcy Judge in Texas rejected J&J’s $10 billion talc settlement proposal in April 2025. This marked the third time the company’s bankruptcy strategy failed in court. Instead of appealing the latest ruling, J&J announced it plans to focus on litigating each case individually in court.
| Plaintiff | Diagnosis | Award | Year | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 plaintiffs | Ovarian cancer | $2.1 billion | 2021 | Missouri | Landmark multi-plaintiff verdict; original $4.78B award reduced on appeal |
| Cherie Craft | Mesothelioma | $1.5 billion | 2025 | Baltimore, MD | Largest single-plaintiff verdict against J&J |
| Mae K. Moore | Mesothelioma | $966 million | 2025 | Los Angeles, CA | $950M punitive damages later overturned; compensatory damages retained |
| Kyung Lee | Mesothelioma | $260 million | 2024 | Oregon | Case didn’t permit punitive damages |
| Anna Jean Houghton Carley | Mesothelioma | $65.5 million | 2025 | Minnesota | 37-year-old mother; peritoneal mesothelioma |
| Theresa Garcia | Mesothelioma | $45 million | 2024 | Chicago, IL | Mother of six; used baby powder on herself and her children |
| Paul and Kathryn Lovell | Mesothelioma | $42 million | 2025 | Boston, MA | No occupational asbestos exposure; used baby powder on his four children |
Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder was made with talc, a mineral that naturally occurs near asbestos deposits in the earth. During the mining process, talc can become contaminated with asbestos fibers. Lab tests show asbestos in J&J talc from at least 1971 to the early 2000s. The company never reported those findings to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
When people use asbestos-contaminated talc products, they can inhale or ingest microscopic asbestos fibers. These fibers can lodge in the lungs, abdomen or other organs, potentially causing mesothelioma decades later. Women who used J&J’s baby powder for feminine hygiene may have increased risk of ovarian cancer.
The company discontinued talc-based baby powder in North America in 2020, citing declining sales and claiming “misinformation” about the product’s safety. J&J switched to cornstarch-based ingredients after public concerns increased. However, J&J maintains that its cosmetic talc products were asbestos-free and safe, despite mounting evidence and jury verdicts suggesting otherwise.
Millions of consumers used Johnson & Johnson’s talc-based baby powder over multiple decades. The powder was marketed as safe for daily use, leading many people to apply it frequently for years or even decades. Various groups faced different levels of exposure risk when using or working with J&J’s asbestos-contaminated talc products.
Higher-Risk Groups for J&J Asbestos Exposure
Factory workers who manufactured or packaged J&J’s talc products may have experienced occupational exposure to higher concentrations of asbestos-contaminated dust. Miners and mill workers involved in extracting and processing the talc used in J&J products faced elevated exposure risks.
How Talcum Powder is Linked to Mesothelioma
[MUSIC PLAYING] Mesothelioma is caused by asbestos. And that can occur through products that contain asbestos like insulation or even when that asbestos occurs in consumer products, such as talcum powder. Typically, women who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma didn’t know where their asbestos exposure came from. We at Simmons have done the investigation and know the companies that use talcum powder contaminated with asbestos that have led to this terrible disease. If you were diagnosed with mesothelioma and you use talcum powder in your life, you may have a case, which is why you need to speak with a mesothelioma attorney. [MUSIC PLAYING]
Johnson & Johnson incorporated talc into various personal care products throughout its history. Johnson’s Baby Powder was the company’s flagship talc-based product and remained on store shelves for more than a century.
The iconic white bottle with its distinctive baby scent became a household staple in families worldwide. J&J marketed the powder not only for infant care but also for adult personal hygiene use.
J&J’s Talc Products
Johnson & Johnson sold the Shower to Shower brand in 2012. But the company has retained liability for asbestos exposure claims tied to the product during the years it owned it.
The company phased out talc-based baby powder in North America in 2020 but continued selling them in other markets before ultimately discontinuing talc baby powder globally in 2023. J&J now offers cornstarch-based alternatives, though the company continues to maintain that its talc products were safe and asbestos-free.
Johnson & Johnson’s talc controversy spans nearly a century, from internal company documents revealing early knowledge of asbestos contamination to billions of dollars in jury verdicts and a landmark scientific retraction. The timeline below traces how the story unfolded, from what the company knew internally to the investigations, legal battles and public reckoning that followed.
The legal story has no clear end in sight. J&J continues to face tens of thousands of talc lawsuits and maintains its products were safe and asbestos-free, despite mounting evidence and jury verdicts to the contrary.
J&J’s original talc-based baby powder could contain asbestos because talc naturally occurs near asbestos deposits and the 2 minerals can mix during mining. Lab tests detected asbestos in J&J’s talc from at least 1971 to the early 2000s. J&J has always claimed its products were safe and asbestos-free, but juries have repeatedly ruled against the company.
J&J switched its North American baby powder formula from talc to cornstarch in 2020, though existing inventory continued selling down on store shelves after that announcement. The company continued selling talc-based versions in other countries until 2023, when it discontinued the talc formula worldwide. While baby powder manufactured today doesn’t contain talc, checking the label for cornstarch as the listed ingredient is the surest way to confirm.
Yes. J&J abandoned its bankruptcy strategy in April 2025 and now defends each case individually in court. People diagnosed with mesothelioma or ovarian cancer linked to J&J talc products can still file talcum powder lawsuits.
Jury verdicts and settlements in J&J talc cases have ranged widely. Recent awards include $1.5 billion to Cherie Craft in December 2025, $260 million to Kyung Lee in June 2024 and $65.5 million to Anna Jean Houghton Carley in December 2025. J&J reports settling 95% of its mesothelioma cases, though it hasn’t disclosed individual settlement amounts.
J&J’s talc-based products that carried asbestos exposure risk include Johnson’s Baby Powder, Shower to Shower, Shower to Shower Morning Fresh and Shower to Shower Blossom Fresh.
J&J faces ongoing civil litigation and has previously faced a federal criminal investigation over whether it concealed asbestos contamination in its talc products. Court documents in recent cases reveal internal records allegedly showing the company knew about asbestos in its talc since the 1930s, failed to remove it and withheld test results. Three separate labs identified asbestos in J&J talc between 1972 and 1975. A 2025 Los Angeles jury found the company acted with “malice, oppression or fraud” and awarded nearly $1 billion in punitive damages in a single case.
J&J reports settling 95% of the mesothelioma cases it has faced. As of late 2025, it still faces more than 60,000 ovarian cancer claims. After its third bankruptcy attempt failed in April 2025, new mesothelioma suits rose 17% and J&J now litigates each remaining case individually in court.
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Asbestos.com. (2026, April 15). Johnson & Johnson. Retrieved April 16, 2026, from https://www.asbestos.com/companies/johnson-johnson/
"Johnson & Johnson." Asbestos.com, 15 Apr 2026, https://www.asbestos.com/companies/johnson-johnson/.
Asbestos.com. "Johnson & Johnson." Last modified April 15, 2026. https://www.asbestos.com/companies/johnson-johnson/.
Whitney Ray Di Bona brings a unique perspective to The Mesothelioma Center's content on Asbestos.com. As both a practicing attorney and consumer safety advocate, she has encountered asbestos-related cases throughout her legal career. She draws on her experience in mass tort litigation and background as a former prosecutor to ensure the accuracy and helpfulness of content for mesothelioma survivors and their families.
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