Select Justice
Select Justice
Expertise
Giving Back
About
Blog

Talcum Powder Lawsuit - Ovarian Cancer

Johnson & Johnson's Baby Powder was found to cause ovarian cancer
Last Updated: December 1, 2024

Talcum Powder Lawsuit Recent Updates - Talcum Powder MDL 2738 Update

CTA Icon
Free Case Evaluation

If you believe that you were harmed by Talcum Powder, we can help you fight for your rights and compensation.

  • July 25, 2023 - An $18.8 million jury verdict in favor of a man who said J & J’s baby powder caused his cancer poses a potential setback for the company’s efforts to rally support behind its talc unit’s bankruptcy settlement.
  • July 1, 2023 - Johnson & Johnson pays $8.9 billion in settlement of claims that baby powder and other talc-based products cause cancer.
  • May 1, 2023 - UPDATE 2: Johnson & Johnson will retain all liabilities related to talc from U.S. and Canada lawsuits.
  • April 19, 2023 - Johnson & Johnson may need to defend baby powder cancer suits after a 19-month pause.
  • March 1, 2023 - Deborah Smith is suing J&J. They are awaiting their day in court, after the company failed get talc cases transferred to bankruptcy court. Thousands of lawsuits claim Johnson & Johnson's talc based baby powder caused the death of many people. The company tried to file those lawsuits in bankruptcy court but was rejected.
  • February 1, 2023 - UK Citizens Filing Asbestos Talc Lawsuits In U.S. Courts.
  • January 15, 2023 - Johnson's and Johnson's talcum powder claimants Blast Request for Litigation Finance Details.
  • January 1, 2023 - Johnson & Johnson subsidiary accuses expert in falsifying talc reports.
  • December 1, 2022 - More than 40,000 cancer lawsuits over talc used in its baby powder.
  • November 21, 2022 - Johnson & Johnson Talcum Powder Products Marketing, Sales Practices and Product Liability Litigation.
  • September 1, 2022 - Johnson & Johnson will replace talc based powder with cornstarch.
  • August 14, 2022 - Johnson & Johnson announced late that it will discontinue selling its talcum-based baby products worldwide and replace the product by its cornstarch version beginning next year.
  • August 1, 2022 - Director of 9/11 fund was selected to estimate cost of Johnson's and Johnson's talcum claims.

  • July 1, 2022 - Baby powder market growth segments 2022 opportunity, challenges and risk factors.
  • June 9, 2022 - Talc Litigation MDL 2738 - Gov Info Johnson and Johnson Talc MDL Litigation Update.
  • June 6, 2022 - Johnson's and Johnson's talcum powder claimants win appellate court review of chapter 11 bankruptcy case. A federal appellate court agreed to consider an appeal challenging Johnson's and Johnson's use of chapter 11 to resolve mass cancer litigation
  • June 1, 2022 - An IL appeals court ruled that Johnson & Johnson's criminal contempt verdict against Johnson & Johnson & a key witness in its defense for a talcum powder product liability lawsuit must be reversed. The judge inferred and presumed that Johnson & Johnson and the witness lied to him.
  • May 1, 2022 - To block lawsuits, wealthy companies resort to quiet tactics such as bankruptcy. Johnson & Johnson, a New Jersey-based company, is worth more than $400 billion. However, in October 2021, Johnson & Johnson used a controversial legal maneuver at bankruptcy court to freeze thousands of lawsuits. There were around 38 thousands lawsuits against Johnson's Baby Powder for ovarian cancer and mesothelioma.
  • April 1, 2022 - New Jersey Courts - published Talc Body Powders Case List.
  • March 20, 2022 - Johnson & Johnson regrets infusing prisoners with asbestos. However, such experiments were widely accepted at the time.
  • March 15, 2022 - The Independent reported that Johnson and Johnson tested talcum powder cancer ingredients on black prisoners for years near Philadelphia.
  • March 1, 2022 - Johnson & Johnson wins a crucial court battle in a baby powder case.
  • February 6, 2022 - Johnson & Johnson is facing pressure to ban global sales of talcum powder. After product withdrawal in the USA and Canada, and lawsuits alleging a link to cancer cases.
  • February 1, 2022 - The FDA published that they received questions about the safety of talc and whether talcum contains asbestos and other harmful contaminants.
  • January 1, 2022 - The United States Supreme Court rejected Johnson & Johnson request to halt a Mississippi talcum powder lawsuit over its talcum powder products.
  • December 1, 2021 - Judge Craig Whitley from North Carolina temporarily stopped about 38,000 baby powder cancer lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson that claim Johnson & Johnson's baby powder was contaminated with cancer causing asbestos.
  • November 2, 2021 - NJ Freda L. Wolfson (Chief Judge, USDC, District Judge for the District of New Jersey) MDL -2738 - Johnson & Johnson Talcum Powder Products Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation
  • October 15,2021 - Johnson & Johnson have created a new subsidiary called LTL Management. J & J said it moved $2 billion in baby powder lawsuit settlement money to the new subsidiary, then submitted LTL for bankruptcy. J & J has not filed for bankruptcy and neither has any of its other subsidiaries.
  • Aug. 27, 2021 Update - Christina Prudencio, a cancer patient from San Jose, CA was awarded $26.5 million in lawsuit against J & J talcum powder.
  • Aug. 5, 2021 Update - A court in California has shut down an appeal from Johnson & Johnson, regarding a $29 million verdict for their talcum powder that allegedly contained asbestos and caused cancer of Teresa Elizabeth Leavitt.
  • The supreme court rejected Johnson & Johnson’s appeal of $2 billion penalty in baby powder cancer case. Source: CNBC June 1st 2021. August 1st, 2021 Update - a group for black women is suing Johnson and Johnson over its talcum powder products.

For over a century women in the United States have been using Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder Talc on a regular basis for feminine hygiene reasons. J&J are accused of having known for many years and studies found that there may be a link between the talc powder and ovarian cancer.

What is The Talcum Powder Lawsuit About?

In the last few years Johnson and Johnson has faced a series of multi-billion dollar lawsuits claiming that talc travels into the ovaries and has caused many women from all over the country, to develop ovarian cancer after regular use of the powder. The company was aware of the critical information but chose to hide it from the public. In addition New studies have found links between cosmetic talc and a rare form of cancer, mesothelioma. Such reports could strengthen current and future cases against J&J.

Asbestos and Talcum Powder

Talc, the main ingredient in talcum powder, is a naturally occurring mineral. It’s often found alongside asbestos in the earth, which can lead to asbestos contamination in talc. This makes even small amounts of talcum powder dangerous. Consumers are unable to detect asbestos in talcum powder; they must rely on proper testing and transparency from companies to know they are using a safe product. 

Like talc, asbestos is naturally occurring, but is classified as a known carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the US National Toxicology Program (NTP). When asbestos enters the body, it can cause scarring and inflammation, which can eventually lead to cancer. Even in very small amounts and with very limited exposure, some people develop cancer from asbestos.

Because it can be dangerous in small amounts, no level of asbestos exposure is safe. When inhaled, it can cause a type of cancer called mesothelioma. While there are some mesothelioma lawsuits related to talcum powder asbestos, there are many more lawsuits related to ovarian cancer. In recent lawsuits, Johnson & Johnson has been accused of marketing baby powder to women for decades, all the while knowing it contained dangerous talcum powder that was often contaminated with asbestos. 

Talcum Powder Lawsuit Ovarian Cancer

3 Things You Should Know Before Joining The Lawsuit

  1. When was talc discovered to cause ovarian cancer?
    It has been reported that Johnson & Johnson talcum powder tested positive for asbestos numerous times between 1971-2003. J&J purposefully hid this information from women across the world and the data was revealed only in 2018 when court discovered internal corporate memos.
  2. Why using baby talcum powder for feminine hygiene can cause Injuries?
    The powder contains the chemical compound talc and since 1971 they have known that their talc contains trace amounts of asbestos. Asbestos is a known carcinogen (cancer causing chemical) and regular exposure to the skin or inhaling through the lungs can cause cancer.
  3. How to join the Talc settlement?
    If you or a loved one were diagnosed with ovarian cancer after 2005 and used Baby Powder for feminine hygiene, you should take a short survey about the criteria of the case. A support member will reach out to you and will help you during all the process. 

The Cancer Link That Was Found In Recent Studies

The idea that talcum powder is related to ovarian cancer is not a new one, and it’s not solely based on anecdotal evidence, either. Studies dating back to the 1970’s have found connections between ovarian cancer and talcum powder use.

  • A 1971 study out of Wales found talc particles deeply embedded in ovarian and cervical cancer tumors. This study sparked an interest for scientists to further study the relationship between talcum powder and ovarian cancer.
  • A 1982 talcum powder ovarian cancer study of 430 women made a connection between ovarian cancer and genital talc use. The study found that women who used talc on sanitary pads and on their genitals were more than three times more likely to develop ovarian cancer when compared to women who didn’t use talcum powder.
  • In 1999, a study published in the International Journal of Cancer found such a strong link between talc dusting and ovarian cancer that the authors wrote, “We conclude that there is a significant association between the use of talc in genital hygiene and risk of epithelial ovarian cancer that, when viewed in perspective of published data on this association, warrants more formal public health warnings.”
  • Multiple studies, including one conducted by researchers at Harvard, found that genital talcum powder use increased women’s risk of ovarian cancer. The increased risk found in the studies was around 30%.
  • In total, there have been at least 16 case-control studies that have similarly demonstrated a link between ovarian cancer and dusting talc powder in the genital area.

The results of these studies have been a catalyst for many women to think about the cause of their ovarian cancer. While they don’t unequivocally prove talcum powder causes cancer, they are enough to raise suspicion.

Can Talc Cause Cancer?

It is much more difficult for scientists to prove that something causes cancer than it is for them to show that there is a correlation, or link, between something and cancer. That being said, multiple studies show that there is a very strong correlation between talcum powder and ovarian cancer. 

In addition to these, one study published by the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine even found a link between talcum powder use and mesothelioma, which is known to be caused by asbestos. Emerging research is also finding a link between talcum powder use and uterine cancer. A study published in 2019 found a positive connection between using talc and developing uterine cancer. 

Although the connection between cancer and talc has not been completely proven, the link between asbestos and cancer, however, is very clear. 

Talcum Video 1

Women From New York To Texas and California Were Affected By Talc Ovarian Cancer

According to the American Cancer Society "21,750 women will be diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer in 2020". It was found that half of the women that are diagnosed in the US are over the age of 63 years.

Johnson & Johnson had dropped a few hints about its knowledge of the dangerous talc side effects and possible asbestos contamination in courts for several decades. After a recent investigation, the company was forced to recall 33,000 bottles of baby powder due to asbestos contamination in 2019 until they finally stopped selling talcum powder in American and Canadian markets in May 2020

As of June 2020, there are more than 19,000 open cases of talc and ovarian cancer link that are pending against the company. The talc settlement amounts and the payout for women can be as high as 2.1 billions dollars like the recent ruling of the Missouri Court of Appeal to 22 women. This the next step after a Missouri jury awarded in July 2018, $550 million to and a further $4.1 billion in punitive damages.

Talcum Video 1

Case and Settlements Updates and Developments

Although many people are curious as to how much settlements are for talcum powder lawsuits it is impossible to give exact numbers. However there are have been some recent Johnson and Johnson settlement amounts for talcum powder lawsuits that have been made public and this can help people understand the range they may be given.

  • October 2020 - Johnson and Johnson agreed to pay more than $100 million to settle over 1,000 lawsuits stating that the company’s baby powder causes cancer. This marks the first time the company has settled a bulk of cases and not individual suits
  • June 2020 - an appellate court in Missouri upheld more than $2 billion in damages against Johnson & Johnson, saying the company knew there was asbestos in its baby powder
  • May 2020 - Johnson & Johnson announced it would end the sale of talc-based baby powder in North America. Despite this, however, sales of the product would continue in the UK and the rest of the world
  • January 2020 - News emerged of J&J settling a case for over $2 million in Oakland, California. The payout, which was awarded to an Irish woman who had claimed to develop cancer after using asbestos-tainted baby powder, is one of the rare cases were J&J has decided to settle.
CTA Icon
Free Case Evaluation

If you believe that you were harmed by Talcum Powder, we can help you fight for your rights and compensation.

Why Are People Going After Johnson & Johnson?

Johnson and Johnson isn’t the only company to make talcum powder, but they are the reason many people have filed a talcum powder ovarian cancer lawsuit. For decades, they sold and marketed their talcum powder products, primarily to women. Thousands of those women who used J &J talcum powder on their genital area later developed ovarian cancer

In 2018, a judge released internal documents from Johnson & Johnson that revealed the company was aware that their talcum powder sometimes contained asbestos. Their talc tested positive for asbestos numerous times between 1971 and 2003, yet they didn’t make this information public, and they continued to market to women.

In the 1980’s, consumers began to put Johnson & Johnson under pressure to issue a warning about the potential for asbestos contamination in their talcum baby powder. However, the level of possible contamination was said to be too low, and the FDA did not require Johnson and Johnson to issue a warning.

It wasn’t until 2006 that the World Health Organization classified talcum powder as a possible carcinogen when used in the genital area. For years consumers and activists fought for the FDA to require Johnson & Johnson to put warning labels on their talcum powder, but they were unsuccessful.

Only this year did the company finally act and it removed their Talcum Based Bay Powder from the North American Market.

Thousands of people have filed lawsuits against Johnson and Johnson because:

  • They knowingly sold a defective product that contained asbestos.
  • They knew their talcum powder contained asbestos, which is a known carcinogen.
  • They failed to warn members of the medical community as well as the general public that their product was defective.
  • Not only did they sell this defective product, but they clearly marketed it to women, convincing them they needed the product.
  • According to a special report from Reuters, Johnson & Johnson marketed talcum powder specifically to African American and overweight women even after the World Health Organization (WHO) classified it as possibly carcinogenic.


Johnson and Johnson was deliberately deceptive about their talcum powder products. This has led to many people seeking justice for harm that may have come to them or a loved one due to the company’s deception.

How To Choose The Right Attorney For You?

Companies like Johnson & Johnson generally have vast resources to spend on defending itself, so if you are looking for a talcum lawyer to discuss your case, you should ensure that you hire an expert lawyer from an established legal firm.

It is highly important to do history check for similar cases and a solid success rate in previous cases in medical litigation. We can help you sign on a contingency agreement so you will not have to pay any out of pocket money during all the process.

You will have to pay ONLY if you get compensation and the payment will be a percentage of your compensation payment. This is a No-Risk action and many women choose it. Good Luck.

Companies like Johnson & Johnson generally have vast resources to spend on defending itself, so if you are looking for a lawyer to discuss your case, you should ensure that you hire one that has experience trying similar cases and cases of similar magnitude. In addition, any lawyer you hire should have a solid success rate in previous cases and expertise in medical litigation. Select Justice can help you find lawyers that best suit your specific needs of this case.

CTA Icon
Free Case Evaluation

If you believe that you were harmed by Talcum Powder, we can help you fight for your rights and compensation.

Talcum Powder Lawsuit Recent Articles

We are here to help you and loved ones advocate for justice. Feel free to send us any questions you might have, either about an injury or the process for pursuing justice so we can help you exercise your rights.
© 2024 Copyright Jazz Media Ltd.
All rights reserved
crossmenuchevron-down