Johnson & Johnson talc settlement offers $5.5bn in US cancer cases
J&J says the $5.5bn deal covers about 69,000 US cases over claims that talc-based baby powder caused ovarian cancer.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
2 min read
Johnson & Johnson has offered a $5.5bn talc settlement to resolve tens of thousands of US lawsuits alleging that its former talc-based baby powder caused ovarian cancer, Reuters reported. The deal matters because it would address nearly all of the company’s remaining talc-related litigation in US courts.
J&J announced the agreement on Monday, saying it covers about 69,000 cases in federal and state courts. The company said that amounts to 99.75 percent of outstanding talc claims in the United States.
What is the Johnson & Johnson talc settlement?
The proposed settlement is J&J’s offer to pay $5.5bn to end US lawsuits tied to claims about talc-based baby powder and ovarian cancer. According to Reuters, the cases involve allegations that a product the company no longer sells caused cancer.
J&J continues to deny that talc causes cancer. Reuters reported that the company stopped selling talc-based baby powder in the United States in 2020 and ended sales worldwide in 2023.
Talc is a soft mineral that was widely used in baby products and cosmetics. Its use has declined as concerns about possible cancer risks grew, and the World Health Organization classified talc in 2024 as probably carcinogenic to humans.
Erik Haas, J&J’s litigation head, said the agreement would allow the company to “put this matter behind it,” Reuters reported. Lawyers for the plaintiffs described the settlement as a favorable resolution after about a decade of litigation.
How did the talc lawsuits develop?
The US litigation expanded after a 2016 jury ordered J&J to pay $72m to the family of a woman who died of ovarian cancer. Reuters reported that the verdict was the first US case of its kind involving talc, though it was overturned the following year.
Claims against J&J grew after that case, and juries in different parts of the United States issued awards to plaintiffs, according to Reuters. The current agreement is aimed at resolving the bulk of those US claims.
The US settlement does not cover proceedings in the United Kingdom. Reuters reported that a separate UK product liability case, described as the largest in the country’s history, involves more than 7,000 potential claimants.
The UK case was filed in October 2025 and has gone before the UK High Court, Reuters reported. It alleges that J&J knew its talc could cause cancers, mainly ovarian cancer and mesothelioma, while continuing to sell the product; the company denies that claim as well.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.