Johnson & Johnson Reaches $700 Million Talc Settlement

Johnson & Johnson has agreed to pay $700 million in a nationwide settlement resolving allegations that it misled customers about the safety of its talcum-based powder products in its marketing. 

As part of the settlement, which is still pending judicial approval, the health products giant permanently stopped manufacturing, promoting, and selling all of its baby powder and other body and cosmetic products that contain talcum powder as of last year. It has since switched to cornstarch as a primary ingredient, according to NBC News.

Lawsuits were filed against Johnson & Johnson, which has been in business for over half a century, alleging the company misled consumers into believing its talc products were safe. The investigation into its marketing of talc-based products was completed by 42 U.S. States and Washington, D.C. Although it has agreed to a settlement, the company has not admitted to wrongdoing, claiming its talc products are safe and do not cause cancer.

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission reports about 61,490 people remain involved in lawsuits with the company over its products. Most plaintiffs were women with ovarian cancer. However, others had mesothelioma, a cancer linked to asbestos exposure.

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, one of 43 attorneys general involved in the lawsuit, said in a statement, “Any company — no matter how large — must be held accountable when laws protecting consumers are broken and their trust is violated. I will continue to work to ensure consumers are protected from false advertising, scams and dangerous products in the marketplace.”

Illinois will receive approximately $29 million as part of the settlement, pending court approval. However, the Prairie State wasn’t the only one involved in the lawsuit.

The widespread legal action against Johnson & Johnson was also led by Florida, North Carolina, and Texas attorneys general. Along with Raoul, the attorneys general of Arizona, Maryland, New York, Ohio, Oregon, and Washington were part of an executive committee. Additionally, according to Raoul’s statement, “Joining the settlement are the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.”

In May, Johnson & Johnson announced the company was moving forward with a proposed plan of $6.48 billion over 25 years to resolve all current and future ovarian cancer talc claims.

According to Erik Haas, Johnson & Johnson’s worldwide VP of litigation, “The company continues to pursue several paths to achieve a comprehensive and final resolution of the talc litigation.”