The proposed agreement covers about 76,000 lawsuits and could bring the company’s decade-long talc litigation close to an end
Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has agreed to pay an estimated USD 5.5 billion to settle tens of thousands of lawsuits alleging that its talc-based baby powder and other talc products caused ovarian cancer, potentially drawing one of the healthcare company’s longest-running legal battles to a close.
According to media reports, the proposed settlement covers about 76,000 claims, including cases consolidated before a federal court in New Jersey and related lawsuits in state courts. According to media reports, under the agreement, J&J would resolve nearly all of the remaining ovarian cancer-related talc claims against the company. J&J had previously settled most lawsuits alleging that its talc products contained asbestos and caused mesothelioma.
Law firms representing the plaintiffs said the agreement marked a significant step towards resolving nearly a decade of litigation. The settlement will become effective only if 95 per cent of ovarian cancer claimants in state and federal courts agree to its terms.
Although the company agreed to settle, it continued to reject the allegations. Erik Haas, Vice-President of Litigation at Johnson & Johnson, said the claims lacked merit and maintained that the company believed it would ultimately prevail in court, as it had in most cases tried so far. He added that the settlement would allow the company to put the litigation behind it and focus on developing medicines and medical devices.
Johnson & Johnson expects to pay USD 3 billion in 2027, with additional payments scheduled for 2028. The final payout could exceed the estimated amount depending on the number of claimants who join the settlement.
Chris Seeger, a lawyer representing about 2,500 talc claimants and one of the negotiators of the agreement, said the company’s total payout could eventually exceed $7 billion. He said the settlement offered fair compensation to eligible claimants and expressed confidence that his clients would be satisfied with the outcome. According to Seeger, the agreement assigns fixed compensation values to qualifying ovarian cancer claims without imposing an upper limit on Johnson & Johnson’s overall liability.
Legal Battle Continues
The settlement follows a series of favourable court rulings for Johnson & Johnson, including victories in individual trials, successful efforts to disqualify certain plaintiffs’ lawyers and judicial decisions excluding expert testimony relied upon by claimants. Last week, the New Jersey-headquartered company secured another legal victory after a federal judge questioned whether individual plaintiffs could sufficiently prove that talc specifically caused their ovarian cancer. Johnson & Johnson has consistently denied that its talc products cause cancer, maintaining that the products were asbestos-free and safe for consumers.
The company stopped selling talc-based baby powder in the United States in 2020 and replaced it with a cornstarch-based alternative. Litigation resumed in March 2025 after being paused for more than three years while the company unsuccessfully attempted to resolve the claims through the bankruptcy strategy commonly known as the ‘Texas two-step’. Johnson & Johnson filed three bankruptcy petitions through a subsidiary, but each was dismissed by the courts.
Before pursuing bankruptcy, the company recorded mixed outcomes in talc litigation. While it won several trials and had some adverse verdicts reduced on appeal, it also faced a multi-billion-dollar judgment awarded to 22 women who alleged that its baby powder caused their ovarian cancer.
Unlike the earlier bankruptcy proposals, the latest settlement applies only to existing lawsuits and does not cover future claims. Seeger said excluding future cases made more money available to current plaintiffs while accelerating compensation, with eligible claimants expected to receive payments within 18 months instead of over more than a decade under the earlier proposals.
(With input from agency)
