Talcum Powder Lawsuits

People filing talcum powder lawsuits claim they were diagnosed with cancer after using talc-based Johnson's Baby Powder. In April 2023, Johnson & Johnson proposed an $8.9 billion bankruptcy settlement that was ultimately rejected. As of March 2024, more than 53,000 cancer lawsuits were pending in the MDL.

This is an active lawsuit

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Last Modified: March 6, 2024
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Drugwatch.com writers gather lawsuit information by studying court records, watching lawsuit proceedings and speaking with experienced attorneys.

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Latest J&J Talc Baby Powder Lawsuit Updates

As of March 2024, J&J faced 53,796 pending talcum powder lawsuits in multidistrict litigation in New Jersey. MDL 2738 is before Judge Michael A. Shipp in U.S. District Court.

Johnson & Johnson’s subsidiary, LTL Management LLC, refiled for bankruptcy in April 2023 as part of ongoing efforts to seek Chapter 11 protection and a judge denied it. J&J had offered about $9 billion to settle the cases, but that offer died after the bankruptcy was denied. Now, there has been talk of a third effort to file bankruptcy.

The latest J&J talc baby powder lawsuit updates include:
  • March 2024
    A Florida state trial involving plaintiff Bob Sugarman who sued J&J on behalf of his deceased wife Marilyn Seskin ended in a mistrial on March 5 when the jury was unable to reach an agreement. Seskin was diagnosed with a rare form of ovarian cancer allegedly caused by J&J's Baby Powder, according to the plaintiff.
  • February 2024
    The judge in the talcum powder MDL has set various deadlines for depositions and Daubert motions through to September 2024. Attorneys think the next trial will be at the end of 2024 at the earliest.
  • January 2024
    J&J tentatively agreed to a $700 million settlement with over 40 U.S. states regarding its talcum powder marketing. While the settlement doesn't directly affect individual talcum powder lawsuits, it could avert future case filings claiming that the company knew of a link between its talc powder products and cancer.
  • December 2023
    Several bellwether trials are scheduled in 2024 and 2025. J&J's LTL Management subsidiary has been denied bankruptcy proceedings twice and may try to file a third time to push its $9 billion settlement through. In the meantime, it has been quietly settling cases for confidential amounts.
  • April 2023
    According to a regulatory filing, LTL Management refiled for bankruptcy protection in a New Jersey court. Under a proposed agreement, J&J would pay about $8.9 billion over 25 years to current and future plaintiffs to settle talcum powder lawsuits.
  • April 2023
    In a New Jersey bankruptcy court, Judge Michael Kaplan nullified the LTL Management bankruptcy he had previously affirmed.
  • March 2023
    The U.S. Court of Appeals declined LTL Management’s request to stay a bankruptcy ruling while the company sought a U.S. Supreme Court review.
  • January 2023
    In Philadelphia, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit dismissed LTL Management’s bankruptcy status. The ruling temporarily prevented J&J from exploiting bankruptcy law to resolve the multibillion-dollar talc powder lawsuits it faces.
  • September 2022
    Plaintiff’s attorneys in J&J talc baby powder lawsuits presented their arguments against LTL Management’s bankruptcy in court.
  • October 2021
    J&J created the subsidiary LTL Management LLC, which assumed the company’s then-$4.5 billion potential liabilities from talcum powder lawsuits. LTL Management filed for “Texas two-step bankruptcy” soon after.
  • June 2021
    In a landmark ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court declined J&J’s request to overturn a $2.1 billion Missouri court award to 22 women with ovarian cancer.
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In 2019, Johnson & Johnson issued a recall of 33,000 bottles of Johnson’s Baby Powder after testing found asbestos in samples. While J&J denies any liability and insists it did not sell cancer-causing products, it halted the sale of talc-based Johnson’s Baby Powder in North America in May 2020. In 2023, it switched to a cornstarch-based alternative and discontinued worldwide sales of its talc-based Johnson’s Baby Powder.

What Types of Talc Lawsuits Are People Filing?

Tens of thousands of people who developed ovarian cancer or mesothelioma after using talc-based products have filed product liability lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson and other potentially liable manufacturers, suppliers, distributors and other parties. Major brands and manufacturers have faced lawsuits alleging possible cancer risks from asbestos-contaminated talc products.

According to mass torts and product liability attorney Daniel Nigh, J&J has already attempted to defend their cases using general causation. That is, whether the talc can actually cause ovarian cancer and/or mesothelioma.

“It’s really not a strong defense. Multiple literature studies and epidemiological studies have shown an increased risk of ovarian cancer,” Nigh added. “And there is such a clear, plausible, mechanistic explanation of asbestos leading to mesothelioma.”

Brands and Companies Named in Lawsuits

Previous and ongoing talcum powder lawsuits named major brands within the talc supply chain, from manufacturers such as Johnson & Johnson to suppliers.

Brands include:
  • Cashmere Bouquet (Colgate-Palmolive)
  • Gold Bond Body Powder
  • Gold Bond Extra Strength Body Powder
  • Gold Bond No Mess Powder Spray
  • Johnson’s Baby Powder
  • Shower to Shower (J&J)
  • Vanderbilt Minerals raw industrial talc
  • Whittaker, Clark & Daniels raw cosmetic talc

Besides manufacturers and suppliers, plaintiffs have sued retailers for selling them products that contained asbestos. Some plaintiffs named Target, Walmart, Walgreens and CVS in their talcum powder lawsuits.

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Notable Talcum Powder Verdicts

Since the first talcum powder lawsuit against J&J and other companies, courts have awarded billions of dollars in damages to claimants. Plaintiffs have sought compensation for financial relief to people with talc-related cancer. Some of these verdicts were later reduced by judges.

Notable talcum powder verdicts include:
  • July 2023
    A California jury awarded $18.8 million to 24-year-old Emory Hernandez Valadez, who claimed J&J's baby powder led him to develop pericardial mesothelioma.
  • March 2023
    In a lawsuit against former talc supplier Whittaker, Clark & Daniels, a South Carolina jury awarded $29.14 million to a woman who linked her mesothelioma to the use of asbestos-contaminated talc products.
  • December 2022
    A Los Angeles Superior Court jury awarded Rita Chapman $10 million in compensatory damages in a verdict against Avon Products Inc. Chapman attributed her cancer to using Avon’s talc-based cosmetics and had earlier been awarded $40 million.
  • June 2021
    The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed a $2 billion verdict against J&J in a case involving 22 people in different states who were diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Plaintiffs’ attorneys had shown J&J’s prior knowledge and internal discussion of asbestos contamination in its talc products.
  • September 2019
    A New Jersey jury awarded $37.2 million to Douglas Barden, David Etheridge, D’Angela McNeill-George and Will Ronning. The plaintiffs attributed their mesothelioma to asbestos contamination in Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower products.
  • April 2018
    In a verdict against J&J and its talc supplier, Imerys Talc, a New Jersey jury awarded $117 million to Stephen Lanzo III and his wife. The plaintiff blamed his mesothelioma on using Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower.
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J&J and other talc-related companies face nearly 40,000 lawsuits. Many claims were filed by people who say they developed cancer from exposure to asbestos-tainted consumer products, such as cosmetic talc products, and industrial products.

Daniel Nigh
“There are other things that cause ovarian cancer. So, that's the way in which J&J is trying to defend against these cases. They've lost multiple trials. And there are some specific cases where there are other clear explanations that are probably stronger explanations for the plaintiff’s ovarian cancer. But for the majority of these lawsuits, that's not going to be the case.”
Daniel Nigh mass torts and product liability attorney

Punitive Damages in Talc Verdicts

In many talcum powder cases, courts issued high-dollar verdicts in favor of those diagnosed with cancer or their families. Punitive damages hold defendants accountable for products they knew contained toxic asbestos that they failed to caution regulators and consumers about.

Internal memos analyzed by Reuters and available to plaintiffs’ lawyers show that J&J researched and uncovered asbestos contamination in its talc products.

Notable Talc Lawsuit Settlements

While manufacturers vowed to defend their brands against talc lawsuits, companies like Imerys Talc and Colgate-Palmolive resolved disputes privately and reached settlement agreements before entering a courtroom.

Notable talc lawsuit settlements include:
  • November 2023
    J&J confidentially settled the cases of Rosalino Reyes and Marlin Eagles, who claimed they developed mesothelioma after they were exposed to asbestos in J&J’s talc powder.
  • April 2023
    Johnson & Johnson proposed an $8.9 billion settlement to about 60,000 plaintiffs who it said agreed to its latest bankruptcy plans.
  • February 2023
    Emtal Talc reached a $72.5 million settlement with rubber workers who developed asbestos-linked lung cancer after exposure to the company’s talc.
  • July 2018
    After confidential out-of-court negotiations, Colgate-Palmolive compensated Paul Garcia, who blamed his mesothelioma on using baby powder made by former Colgate-Palmolive affiliate Mennen.
  • March 2018
    During jury deliberations in Florida state court, Vanderbilt Minerals LLC settled a potential $11.5 million lawsuit with Robert Lord, a former tile worker. The plaintiff attributed his mesothelioma to inhaling asbestos in the company’s industrial talc products.
  • November 2017
    Colgate-Palmolive agreed to confidential out-of-court negotiations with Carol Schoeniger. The plaintiff blamed the company’s talc-based products for her asbestos exposure and mesothelioma.
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J&J’s proposed $8.9 billion bankruptcy deal from April 2023 has yet to be approved because judges keep denying the company’s requests to file bankruptcy. In October 2020, it offered an estimated $100 million to settle more than 1,000 claims, according to Bloomberg.

Who Is Eligible To File a Talc Lawsuit?

You may be eligible to file a talc lawsuit if you developed ovarian cancer or mesothelioma after regularly using or working with talc-based products. You may also be eligible to file a talc claim if you lost a loved one to cancer after asbestos exposure.

To make a strong case and maximize potential compensation, plaintiffs should hire an attorney. It takes legal expertise and relevant case experience to document asbestos exposure or ovarian cancer from talc products.

Your eligibility to file a talc lawsuit also depends on your state’s statute of limitations. The average statute of limitations for a wrongful death talc lawsuit is about two years from the cancer patient’s date of death. It usually takes 20 to 60 years from the time of asbestos exposure to develop detectable cancer symptoms.

Top Talcum Powder Lawyers

Working with top talcum powder lawyers is essential because defendants will deny liability and often have adequate resources to contest all claims, no matter how long it takes. Before choosing a law firm to represent you, consider their experience in personal injury litigation against major corporations.

Ask whether they have nationwide resources and the value of talc lawsuit settlements and verdicts they’ve secured for clients over the years. If you’re in the hospital or too sick to travel, you may need a lawyer with virtual consultation options and the flexibility to come to you.

Top talcum powder law firms to consider include Weitz & Luxenberg and Simmons Hanly Conroy. Weitz & Luxenberg recently secured $27.4 million in compensation for a plaintiff with mesothelioma who had used J&J’s baby powder. Simmons Hanly Conroy secured a $3.8 million verdict for a plaintiff who died of mesothelioma from workplace asbestos exposure.

Please seek the advice of a medical professional before making health care decisions.