Johnson & Johnson is indeed facing a large and growing number of lawsuits related to its baby powder products, specifically those containing talcum powder. As of 2025, tens of thousands of lawsuits have been filed against the company, with claimants alleging that long-term use of Johnson & Johnson’s talcum powder caused serious health issues such as ovarian cancer, mesothelioma, and uterine cancer. The core allegation is that the talcum powder was contaminated with asbestos, a known carcinogen, and that Johnson & Johnson either knew about this contamination or should have known, yet failed to warn consumers about the risks.
The volume of lawsuits is staggering, with over 58,000 active lawsuits reported earlier in the year and numbers continuing to rise, surpassing 63,000 by mid-2025. These lawsuits are spread across various state courts in the United States, including major litigation hubs like St. Louis, New Jersey, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia. The litigation involves both individual claims and mass tort programs, with some courts scheduling bellwether trials to help manage the large caseload.
Johnson & Johnson has attempted several legal strategies to manage and limit its liability. One notable approach was creating a subsidiary to which it transferred its talc-related liabilities and then filing for bankruptcy for that subsidiary. This maneuver was intended to use bankruptcy protections to resolve or reduce the claims. However, judges have repeatedly rejected these attempts, criticizing the company’s tactics and questioning the legitimacy of the bankruptcy filings. As a result, the lawsuits continue to move forward in courts, with trials resuming and new cases still being filed.
Despite Johnson & Johnson’s insistence that their talcum powder products are safe, internal company documents revealed during trials have shown that the company was aware of asbestos contamination risks for decades but concealed this information from the public. This has led to significant jury verdicts against the company, including multi-million dollar awards to individuals diagnosed with mesothelioma and ovarian cancer after using the baby powder. For example, a Boston jury awarded $42.6 million in one of the largest mesothelioma verdicts in Massachusetts history, and other verdicts have ranged from $8 million to $9 million in recent months.
The company has settled a large portion of the mesothelioma-related claims—around 95%—but the ovarian cancer lawsuits remain largely unresolved, with no comprehensive settlement in place. Johnson & Johnson’s proposed $8 billion settlement to resolve ovarian cancer claims was rejected by a bankruptcy judg
