Johnson & Johnson agrees to pay $5.5 billion to settle thousands of cancer lawsuits over baby powder, talc products

NEW YORK: Johnson & Johnson said it would pay an estimated $5.5 billion to resolve tens of thousands of lawsuits alleging its baby powder and other talc products cause ovarian cancer, in a deal that could end a legal battle that has dogged the company for a decade.

The settlement covers roughly 76,000 claims, including those consolidated in federal court in New Jersey and related cases in state court, representing nearly all of the remaining talc claims against the company. J&J had previously settled most cases alleging its talc contained asbestos and caused mesothelioma.

Plaintiffs' law firms confirmed the deal on Monday, calling it a good resolution after a decade-long court battle. The agreement must be accepted by 95% of ovarian cancer claimants in state or federal court before it becomes final.

Erik Haas, J&J's vice president of litigation, said the claims were "meritless" but that the company chose to settle in order to move forward. "While we are confident the company would have ultimately prevailed with further litigation, as it has in the vast majority of cases tried to date, this resolution allows the company to put this matter behind it and remain focused on its mission to develop medicines and devices that save lives," Haas said.

J&J expects to pay $3 billion in 2027, with further payments due in 2028. However, the total could rise depending on how many claimants participate in the settlement.

Chris Seeger, an attorney representing about 2,500 clients with talc claims who helped negotiate the agreement, said J&J's total payout could ultimately reach $7 billion or more. He said the settlement assigns specific values to qualifying ovarian cancer claims but does not cap the company's total liability. "We got a fair settlement, and our clients are going to be happy with it," Seeger said.

Deal comes after courtroom wins

J&J reached the settlement following a series of courtroom victories, including wins in individual trials, successful efforts to disqualify plaintiffs' lawyers, and rulings against expert witnesses used by plaintiffs. Last week, the company secured a significant win when a federal judge cast doubt on individual plaintiffs' ability to prove that talc specifically caused their ovarian cancer.

J&J has long denied that its talc products caused cancer, maintaining that talc is safe and does not contain asbestos. The company stopped selling talc-based baby powder in the US in 2020, switching to a cornstarch-based product.

Litigation resumed in March 2025 after being paused for more than three years while J&J pursued a strategy known as the "Texas two step," filing three bankruptcies through a shell-company subsidiary in an effort to settle the cases. Each bankruptcy attempt ended in dismissal.

Before those bankruptcy attempts, J&J had a mixed record in talc trials, including a multibillion-dollar verdict in favor of 22 women who said baby powder caused their ovarian cancer. The company won some trials outright, while other verdicts were reduced on appeal.

Unlike the earlier bankruptcy settlement proposals, Monday's agreement applies only to existing claims and does not address future lawsuits. Seeger said excluding future claims freed up more money for current plaintiffs than the bankruptcy proposal had, while also accelerating payments so that all claims will be paid within 18 months, rather than being spread out over more than a decade.