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A California jury has awarded $40 million in damages to two women who claimed that long-term use of Johnson & Johnson’s talc-based baby powder caused their ovarian cancer, marking a significant development in the company’s ongoing talc litigation. The verdict was delivered Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court, where jurors concluded that Johnson & Johnson knew for decades about potential cancer risks associated with its baby powder products but failed to warn consumers.
The jury awarded $18 million to Monica Kent and $22 million to Deborah Schultz and her husband. Both women are California residents who testified that they used Johnson & Johnson baby powder daily after bathing for roughly 40 years. Kent was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2014, while Schultz received her diagnosis in 2018. According to trial testimony, both women underwent extensive medical treatment, including major surgeries and numerous rounds of chemotherapy.
During closing arguments, plaintiffs’ attorney Andy Birchfield told jurors that internal company knowledge about cancer risks linked to talc dated back to the 1960s. He argued that Johnson & Johnson deliberately concealed this information to protect sales. The jury ultimately agreed, finding the company liable for failing to warn consumers about potential dangers.
Johnson & Johnson has strongly denied the claims and announced plans to immediately appeal the verdict. Erik Haas, the company’s worldwide vice president of litigation, said the company expects to prevail, arguing that the decision represents an “aberrant adverse verdict.” Defense attorney Allison Brown told jurors that no major U.S. health authority has established a causal link between talc use and ovarian cancer, and that no scientific study proves talc can migrate to reproductive organs.
Johnson & Johnson is currently facing more than 67,000 lawsuits related to its talc products, the majority involving ovarian cancer claims. The company stopped selling talc-based baby powder in the United States in 2020, switching to a cornstarch alternative. Efforts to resolve the litigation through bankruptcy have been rejected multiple times by federal courts, allowing cases to resume.
The verdict underscores the ongoing legal and financial risks Johnson & Johnson faces as talc cancer lawsuits continue to move forward in courts across the country.
