Johnson & Johnson just agreed to pay $5.5 billion over baby powder cancer claims, but its own lawyer still insists the lawsuits have no merit

Johnson & Johnson has taken another major step toward ending its long-running talc litigation. The company has agreed to a proposed $5.5 billion settlement that could resolve tens of thousands of lawsuits alleging its talc-based products, including baby powder, caused ovarian cancer. 

According to the New York Post, the proposed deal covers about 76,000 claims, including cases consolidated in federal court in New Jersey and related state lawsuits. However, it will only take effect if 95% of ovarian cancer claimants vote to approve it.

Plaintiffs’ attorneys announced the agreement on Monday and described it as a fair resolution after years of legal disputes. Johnson & Johnson Vice President of Litigation Erik Haas said the company continues to believe the lawsuits have no merit but agreed to settle so it can focus on developing medicines and medical devices.

After a decade of courtroom battles, J&J is finally trying to close the chapter

Johnson & Johnson expects to make an initial payment of $3 billion in 2027. More payments will follow in 2028, but the final amount could rise depending on participation. Attorney Chris Seeger, who represents about 2,500 talc claimants, said the company could eventually pay $7 billion or more because qualifying claims have assigned values without a fixed cap.

Seeger said his clients would likely view the agreement positively and called it a fair outcome. The settlement comes after years of legal fights, including several courtroom victories for J&J, challenges against plaintiffs’ experts and disputes over whether talc could be proven to cause ovarian cancer.

The company has repeatedly stated that its talc products were safe and did not contain asbestos. J&J stopped selling talc-based baby powder in the United States in 2020 and replaced it with a cornstarch-based version.

However, the legal fight took another turn in March 2025 when litigation restarted after being paused for more than three years. During that period, J&J attempted to use a bankruptcy strategy known as the Texas two-step through a subsidiary. The company made three bankruptcy filings in an effort to resolve the lawsuits, but all were dismissed.

Before the bankruptcy attempts, J&J faced mixed results in talc trials. The company lost a major case involving 22 women who were awarded a multibillion-dollar verdict after claiming baby powder caused their ovarian cancer. However, other verdicts were reduced or overturned during appeals.

Unlike previous bankruptcy proposals, this settlement only covers existing claims and does not include future lawsuits. Seeger said this approach allows more money to go toward current claimants and could speed up payments. Under the agreement, claims could be resolved within 18 months instead of being stretched out over more than a decade.