On December 22, 2025, a Baltimore City jury awarded over $1.5 billion to a woman who claimed that Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder talc contained asbestos that caused her peritoneal mesothelioma, which is a rare form of cancer that is linked to asbestos exposure and for which there is no cure. The plaintiff was diagnosed with mesothelioma in January 2024. The jury’s award included $59.84 million in compensatory damages and $1.5 billion in punitive damages.
The jury held Johnson & Johnson, two of its subsidiaries, and a spinoff liable for failing to warn the plaintiff that its talc product contained asbestos.
The plaintiff’s lawyer stated after the verdict: “Cherie Craft runs a non-profit where she pours her life into helping others. Her cancer was preventable. She used Johnson’s Baby Powder every day of her life until she was diagnosed with cancer. J&J refused to accept any responsibility and fought at every turn.” Johnson & Johnson vowed to immediately appeal, stating that the verdict was unconstitutional, “egregious,” and “these lawsuits are predicated on junk science.”
There are pending lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson filed by over 67,000 plaintiffs who claim that they were diagnosed with cancer after using its baby powder and other talc products that contained asbestos. Attempts to resolve the claims through a proposed bankruptcy settlement that proffered billions of dollars for claimants were previously rejected by the courts. Johnson & Johnson stopped selling talc-based baby powder in the United States in 2020 and switched to cornstarch-based products. It ceased selling talc-based products throughout the rest of the world in 2023.
Johnson & Johnson had announced on September 20, 2024 that its subsidiary, Red River Talc LLC (“Red River”), filed a voluntary prepackaged Chapter 11 bankruptcy case in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas (the “Bankruptcy Court”) to fully and finally resolve all current and future claims related to ovarian cancer arising from cosmetic talc litigation against the Company and its affiliates in the United States.
Red River filed the bankruptcy case after it received the support of the overwhelming majority (approximately 83%) of current claimants for the proposed bankruptcy plan (the “Plan”). After extensive negotiations with counsel for claimants who initially opposed the Plan, Red River agreed to increase its contribution to the settlement by $1.75 billion to approximately $8 billion.
Despite the bankruptcy settlement proposal, Johnson & Johnson maintained: “The Company reiterates that none of the talc-related claims against it have merit. The claims are premised on allegations that have been rejected by independent experts, as well as governmental and regulatory bodies, for decades.”
On March 31, 2025, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas denied the request by Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Red River Talc LLC (“Red River”) to confirm its proposed prepackaged bankruptcy plan. Johnson & Johnson stated at that time: “Rather than pursue a protracted appeal, the Company will return to the tort system to litigate and defeat these meritless talc claims. The disclosures made under oath in the Red River bankruptcy affirmed that the talc litigation is a plaintiff-lawyer driven fake tort, premised on junk science and fueled by third party litigation financing including from foreign sovereign wealth funds. Consequently, the Company has no intent to settle or pay plaintiff lawyers on such meritless claims. Accordingly, the Company will reverse approximately $7 billion of the previous reserve … The Company has already made great strides in resolving its talc litigation by settling 95% of filed mesothelioma lawsuits, concluded all State consumer protection claims, as well as all talc-supplier disputes.”
If you or a loved one were harmed as a result of a talc product, such as baby powder, in the United States, you should promptly consult with a talc lawyer in your state who may investigate your talcum powder cancer claim for you and represent you or your loved one in a claim against the manufacturer of an unreasonably dangerous consumer product, if appropriate.
Visit our website to be connected with talc claim lawyers in your state who may assist you, or telephone us toll-free in the United States at 800-295-3959.
Turn to us when you don’t know where to turn.