- For decades, Johnson & Johnson publicly marketed its talc-based baby powder as safe, while internal company documents reveal executives were privately concerned about asbestos contamination, a known carcinogen.
- These contradictions have led to over 73,000 lawsuits. In a recent case, a Los Angeles jury ordered J&J to pay $966 million to the family of a woman who died from mesothelioma, a cancer linked to asbestos exposure.
- Internal memos from as early as the 1970s show company scientists suggested switching to safer cornstarch, but J&J allegedly continued using talc to protect profits, specifically targeting high-use demographics.
- J&J has employed controversial tactics, like a "Texas two-step" bankruptcy strategy, to shield itself from liability. Analysts predict the company could ultimately pay over $11 billion to resolve all talc-related claims.
- The talc litigation is part of a broader history of legal troubles for J&J, including billions paid in settlements over opioids, faulty medical devices and other products, which critics argue reveals a pattern of prioritizing profits over consumer safety.
For decades, Johnson & Johnson (J&J) marketed its iconic talc-based baby powder as a safe, gentle product trusted by generations of families. Yet internal documents now reveal that company executives privately worried about asbestos contamination – a known carcinogen – while publicly denying any risk.
This contradiction has led to one of the largest product liability cases in U.S. history, culminating in a staggering $966 million verdict against the pharmaceutical giant. In early October, a Los Angeles jury ordered J&J to pay the family of Mae Moore, an 88-year-old California woman who died in 2021 from mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive cancer linked to asbestos exposure. Per BrightU.AI's Enoch engine, mesothelioma "is a rare and aggressive form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos, primarily affecting the protective membranes around vital organs."
The jury awarded $16 million in compensatory damages and an unprecedented $950 million in punitive damages – a figure likely to be reduced on appeal due to Supreme Court guidelines capping punitive damages at nine times compensatory awards. But Moore's case is just one of more than 73,000 lawsuits alleging J&J's talc products caused ovarian cancer or mesothelioma.
Internal memos dating back to the 1970s show company scientists flagged asbestos contamination concerns and suggested switching to cornstarch, a safer alternative. Yet J&J continued marketing talc-based powder, particularly targeting African American women and other high-use demographics.
J&J has repeatedly denied its products contain asbestos or cause cancer, insisting they are safe. Yet in 2020, the company discontinued U.S. sales of talc-based baby powder, followed by a global phase-out in 2023. But the move came too late for thousands of plaintiffs like Moore – whose attorney, Trey Branham, declared after the verdict: "We are hopeful that Johnson & Johnson will finally accept responsibility for these senseless deaths.”
Billions at stake: The legal maze of J&J's talc troubles
The company's response was swift and defiant. Erik Haas, J&J's vice president of litigation, called the verdict "egregious and unconstitutional." He vowed an immediate appeal, dismissing the scientific evidence as "junk science."
This legal battle is far from isolated. J&J has spent years attempting to shield itself from liability through controversial legal maneuvers, including the "Texas two-step" bankruptcy strategy. In 2021, the company spun off its talc liabilities into a shell subsidiary, LTL Management, which promptly declared bankruptcy – a tactic previously used by asbestos companies to evade lawsuits. Courts rejected the scheme three times, most recently in March, forcing J&J back into litigation.
Analysts predict the company could ultimately pay upwards of $11 billion to resolve current and future claims. Already, J&J has settled multiple high-profile cases, including a $72 million verdict in Missouri for a woman who died of ovarian cancer and a $700 million settlement with 42 states over deceptive marketing.
The talc litigation is just one chapter in J&J's long history of legal troubles. The company has paid billions in settlements over faulty hip implants, opioid marketing, antipsychotic drug misuse and transvaginal mesh injuries. In 2019, a congressional investigation revealed J&J secretly bought back defective Motrin caplets to avoid a recall.
Critics argue these cases expose a pattern of corporate negligence – prioritizing profits over consumer safety. Ken Starr, a prosecutor representing talc plaintiffs, wrote in court filings that J&J "knew for decades" its products contained asbestos but refused to switch to cornstarch to protect its bottom line.
As J&J prepares its Supreme Court appeal, the implications extend beyond talc. The case underscores systemic flaws in corporate accountability, regulatory oversight and the lengths to which powerful industries will go to evade responsibility.
Watch this video about Johnson & Johnson's legal battles stemming from its cancer-causing talc powder.
This video is from the Truth Matters channel on Brighteon.com.
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