Jury Orders Johnson & Johnson to Pay $40 Million to Two Talc Cancer Patients

A Los Angeles jury has ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay USD 40 million to two women who said long-term use of the company’s talcum powder caused their ovarian cancer.

The healthcare giant said it would appeal the verdict, which adds to a long-running series of lawsuits linking talc-based products to ovarian cancer and mesothelioma. Johnson & Johnson stopped selling talc-based baby powder worldwide in 2023.

The jury awarded USD 18 million to Monica Kent and USD 22 million to Deborah Schultz and her husband. Their lawyer said the women had used Johnson & Johnson’s talcum powders for decades without being warned of potential health risks.

Johnson & Johnson rejected the jury’s findings. Erik Haas, the company’s worldwide vice president of litigation, said the decision conflicted with decades of scientific research showing talc does not contain asbestos and does not cause cancer. He added that the company had won the majority of similar cases and expected to prevail on appeal.

The verdict follows another major ruling in October, when a California jury ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay USD 966 million in a mesothelioma case. In April, a US bankruptcy court also rejected the company’s proposed USD 9 billion settlement plan to resolve talc-related cancer claims.