J&J Settles Some Talc Cancer Claims Amid Bankruptcy Strategy

Company faces over 50,000 lawsuits, most by women with ovarian cancer, and has stopped selling talc-based baby powder.

Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has recently reached settlements with several law firms over claims that its talc products caused cancer, with the aim to facilitate a prepackaged bankruptcy resolution.
The recent settlements cover cases involving plaintiffs with mesothelioma, a type of cancer linked to asbestos, but the company did not disclose the dollar amounts involved or the number of people covered.
J&J faces over 50,000 lawsuits over talc, most by women with ovarian cancer, with a minority of the cases involving people with mesothelioma.
The company has resolved all but one of the cases scheduled for trial in 2023 and has significantly curtailed trials in 2024.
J&J has stopped selling talc-based baby powder in favor of cornstarch-based products due to an increase in lawsuits and misinformation about the talc product's safety.