Nearly 70,000 Talcum Powder Lawsuits at Risk of Dismissal Following Judge’s Decision
One of the largest mass tort litigations in the U.S. could be at risk of dismissal. The judge overseeing nearly 70,000 federal talcum powder lawsuits decided this week that plaintiffs must show why their cases shouldn’t be thrown out.
The order is a major procedural setback for plaintiffs but stops short of ending the litigation entirely. Now, it’s up to those who filed the lawsuits to prove why their cases should be allowed to move forward.
Johnson & Johnson, which has been battling claims for years that its once-popular talcum powder products are tied to ovarian cancer, has been pushing hard for the dismissal of these cases.
Lawyers representing the plaintiffs have until Nov. 19 to respond to the show cause order.
Admissibility of Expert Testimony at Heart of Talc Lawsuit Challenges
The main question in the show cause process is whether plaintiffs have strong enough expert testimony to bring their cases before a jury. Product liability lawsuits usually cannot advance to trial unless plaintiffs present experts who support their claims.
Six talc lawsuits were selected as bellwether cases to proceed to expert discovery and, ultimately, trial. These test cases were meant to help predict the outcome of the larger litigation.
However, the experts’ testimony in these cases contained some inconsistencies. Johnson & Johnson used this to argue for a show cause order and more broadly that the rest of the lawsuits should be dismissed.
Judge Rukhsanah Singh sided with J&J, stating that “instant dismissal” of thousands of cases would not occur, but still allowing the show cause process to begin.
Thousands of Talc Lawsuits Claim J&J Baby Powder Caused Ovarian Cancer
For years, women have sued Johnson & Johnson, claiming they developed ovarian cancer after using the company’s talc-based baby powder products.
J&J has strongly denied these claims. While no case has advanced to trial at the federal level, numerous lawsuits have already played out in state courts.
The company won an ovarian cancer trial in June but was ordered to pay $40 million in a December 2025 trial involving two women.
Even if the federal litigation is dismissed, similar lawsuits are likely to continue in state courts.
J&J stopped selling talc-based powder in the U.S. in 2020.