Johnson & Johnson to Pay $700 Million in Baby Powder Settlement, Texas Gets $61.5 Million

Texas will receive $61.5 million as part of a [$700 million nationwide settlement] against Johnson & Johnson, Attorney General Ken Paxton announced. The settlement resolves allegations that the company misled customers about the safety of its baby powder products containing talc. Johnson & Johnson has also agreed to stop producing and selling these products in the U.S.

We have reached a landmark settlement with Johnson & Johnson ensuring that the company will abide by the law and take effective steps to protect consumers from potentially hazardous ingredients.
Attorney General Ken Paxton

Background

• Johnson & Johnson sold talc products for over a century but ceased sales in 2023 after a coalition of 42 states and Washington, D.C., [investigated] and [found] the company failed to disclose the presence of asbestos in its talc and the associated cancer risks.
• Johnson & Johnson baby powder is now made primarily from corn starch.
• The settlement, led by Texas, Florida, and North Carolina, is pending judicial approval.
• Johnson & Johnson faces tens of thousands of individual lawsuits and a class-action suit alleging health issues and accusing the company of hiding talc dangers from shareholders.
• [Reuters reported] the company's attempts to resolve cases through subsidiary bankruptcy have not been approved by courts.

Statements

Attorney General Paxton:

I’m proud to lead this coalition of 43 attorneys general to stand up for consumers’ health and truth in marketing.

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody:

[This is a major advancement for consumer product safety.]

Erik Haas, Johnson & Johnson VP of Litigation:

[The Company continues to pursue several paths to achieve a comprehensive and final resolution of the talc litigation...We will continue to address the claims of those who do not want to participate in our contemplated consensual bankruptcy resolution through litigation or settlement.]