Johnson & Johnson and Kenvue Inc will pay around $5.5 billion (₹52,668 crore) to settle tens of thousands of lawsuits in the US that alleged the companies' baby powder and other talc products caused ovarian cancer. According to reports from Business Standard, the deal would bring to a close 15 years of litigation, with the drugmaker describing the proposed resolution as "an efficient conclusion" to the lawsuits. The proposed agreement could ultimately exceed $7 billion, depending on participation levels, because it assigns values to qualifying claims rather than imposing an absolute cap on payouts.
J&J has maintained that its talc-based products do not cause cancer and that it has marketed its baby powder appropriately for more than a century. As reported by Business Standard, Erik Haas, the firm's Vice President of Litigation, described the allegations as "meritless" and said the company wanted to settle the cases in order to finally resolve the matter. Haas noted that the company believes it would have "ultimately prevailed with further litigation," having succeeded in most cases heard in court so far. The settlement comes after three unsuccessful attempts to use bankruptcy proceedings to secure a settlement covering tens of thousands of lawsuits.
In October, a California jury ordered J&J to pay $966 million to the family of a woman who alleged that decades of using the company's baby powder caused her cancer. According to Mint, this award marked the largest verdict in the litigation involving an individual plaintiff. The company has faced thousands of lawsuits from consumers and their families, who allege that its talc-based products caused cancer after being contaminated with asbestos. In July 2025, a US judge questioned whether plaintiffs had enough scientific evidence to prove that talc specifically caused an individual's ovarian cancer, raising the possibility that thousands of claims could be dismissed.
Johnson & Johnson discontinued its talc-based baby powder globally in 2023 and made three unsuccessful attempts to use bankruptcy proceedings to secure a settlement covering tens of thousands of lawsuits. As reported by Business Standard, the settlement announcement came after a series of legal developments that appeared to improve J&J's position in court. The company also won another case when a prominent plaintiffs' law firm was disqualified from representing thousands of claimants. With all procedural escape hatches exhausted, an out-of-court settlement became the only realistic path to achieving finality. The settlement requires at least 95% of eligible claimants to agree to participate before it becomes effective.
J&J expects to pay up to $3 billion during 2027, with the remaining payments scheduled from 2028 onwards. According to Business Standard, the settlement would resolve roughly 76,000 remaining ovarian cancer claims, including cases pending in state courts alongside the 69,000 in the federal multidistrict litigation. However, the agreement will not resolve every talc-related lawsuit, as mesothelioma cases and other claims outside the settlement are expected to continue. The company has said it will defend the remaining cases while maintaining that its talc products are safe and do not contain asbestos.
