Johnson & Johnson Offers Up to $5.5bn Settlement Over Baby Powder Lawsuits

Sun Sep 06 2026 04:17:24 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

J&J proposes a $5.5bn settlement to resolve tens of thousands of claims alleging its talc‑based baby powders caused ovarian cancer.

Johnson & Johnson has announced a proposal to pay as much as $5.5bn to settle thousands of lawsuits in the United States. The settlement would end a 17‑year legal battle accusing the company’s talc‑infused baby powder of causing ovarian cancer. J&J, which has denied the allegations, says the offer will cover roughly 76,000 cases, with payments beginning next year and no further payments until 2028. The company insists its products are safe and plans to focus on its pharmaceutical mission. The proposed settlement must be approved by legal firms representing 95% of the claims in state and federal courts.

A Landmark Settlement Proposal

Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has offered to pay up to $5.5bn (£4.14bn) to resolve tens of thousands of lawsuits alleging that its baby powder and other talc products caused ovarian cancer. The proposed set‑tle‑ment aims to close a long‑running legal battle that has weighed on the New Jersey‑based healthcare giant for years.

J&J has denied that its talc‑based products caused cancer and has changed the formula of its widely used baby powder. Erik Haas, the firm’s vice president of litigation, said the allegations are “meritless” and that the company was willing to settle in order to finally resolve the matter.

The settlement would cover about 76,000 cases, most of the remaining talc‑related claims. J&J said it will offer up to $3bn next year, with no additional payments due before 2028.

The proposal must be accepted by legal firms representing 95% of the ovarian cancer claims in state and federal courts before finalisation.

Haas said that the company is confident it would have ultimately prevailed with further litigation, just as it has in the majority of cases heard in court to date. He added that the proposed resolution allows J&J to put this matter behind it and remain focused on its mission to develop medicines and devices that save lives.

J&J’s former consumer health business, Kenvue, holds liability for Johnson’s baby powder outside North America. Kenvue, which owns well‑known brands including Band‑Aid, Listerine, and Calpol, was spun off from J&J in 2022.

Lawsuits against J&J over its talc‑based baby powder started as early as 2009. Earlier in July, a federal court handed the firm a victory by questioning individual plaintiffs’ ability to show that talc was the direct cause of their ovarian cancer.

Talc is a natural mineral made of magnesium, silicon, oxygen and hydrogen, known for its soapy feel and is often used in baby powder. The company has faced lawsuits from consumers and survivors who claim J&J’s talc products caused cancer due to contamination with asbestos. Talc is mined from the earth and is found in seams close to that of asbestos, a material known to cause cancer.

J&J has repeatedly denied the allegations and in its latest announcement said: “Studies show talc is safe, does not contain asbestos and does not cause cancer.” In 2022, J&J said it would stop making and selling its talc‑based baby powder around the world, more than two years after it had ended sales of the product in the US and had made a commercial decision to transition to an all cornstarch‑based baby powder portfolio.