Johnson & Johnson
Medical Device R&D and Manufacturer
2025Year10In the month, a verdict by a Los Angeles court once again pushed Johnson & Johnson to the center of public opinion. The jury ruled that Johnson & Johnson must...2021Female who passed away from mesotheliomaMae MoorePaid by the family9.66The billion-dollar compensation sets a record as the highest amount Johnson & Johnson has been ordered to pay in mesothelioma-related talcum powder litigation, adding another significant burden to its years-long legal disputes over talcum powder products.
The amount of compensation in this judgment consists of two parts:1600Million USD in compensatory damages, and9.5Billions of dollars in punitive damages.
The jury clearly pointed out in the verdict that Johnson & Johnson had long concealed the health risks of its baby talcum powder products, and this concealment led toMooreAn important factor in developing mesothelioma; Johnson & Johnson is also identified as“Malicious or oppressive”Behavior, failing to fulfill the responsibility of protecting consumers. Among them, targetingMooreNon-economic loss compensation due to illness is600Million US dollars, the total non-economic loss compensation received by their three relatives who filed the lawsuit was1000Million USD.
Notably, the lawsuit took four years from filing to verdict. The core reason lies in Johnson & Johnson's previous attempts to resolve the massive talcum powder litigation through a bankruptcy settlement of class-action lawsuits, which repeatedly failed, causing repeated delays in the trial process.
Just days before this verdict, a jury in South Carolina had just rejected a similar lawsuit in which a man claimed that asbestos fibers in Johnson & Johnson's baby talcum powder caused his cancer. The rejection of this claim made the high compensation awarded in Los Angeles even more controversial.
In response to the verdict, Johnson & Johnson explicitly stated that it would appeal immediately. Its legal affairs directorErik HaasStated in the announcement, this verdict“Extreme and Unconstitutional”, whether in terms of the outcome or the amount of compensation, it contradicts the majority of talcum powder cases where Johnson & Johnson emerged victorious. It even mentioned that another unfounded lawsuit filed by the same plaintiff's law firm last week also ended successfully with Johnson & Johnson's defense.
HaasSpecifically pointed out,9.5The punitive damages of hundreds of millions of dollars violate constitutional provisions, as the guiding principles of the U.S. Supreme Court generally set the cap for punitive damages at9Times, and this punitive damages award is1600Million USD Compensatory Damages60times, far exceeding a reasonable range.
In fact, this is not the first time that Johnson & Johnson has been embroiled in issues related to talcum powder products.“Carcinogenic”Controversy. Over the years, there have been tens of thousands of lawsuits worldwide against Johnson & Johnson's talcum powder products. Plaintiffs generally allege that asbestos fibers in their products are linked to diseases such as ovarian cancer and mesothelioma. Johnson & Johnson has consistently denied this association, repeatedly citing research data claiming that its baby talcum powder does not contain asbestos and is not carcinogenic, dismissing the accusations from plaintiffs' lawyers as...“Junk Science”。
To counter the lawsuit, Johnson & Johnson also took action against expert witnesses,2025Year5In the month, the company had applied to restart for the Doctor of MedicineJacqueline MolineThe lawsuit accuses it of fabricating key information used in hundreds of talcum powder cases. It is reported that,MolineOnce in200Served as an expert witness for the plaintiffs in multiple talcum powder lawsuits,20For years, they have continuously supported lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson, profiting millions of dollars in the process.
HaasIt was emphasized after this verdict that due to the misleading false information provided by the plaintiff's paid experts, several previous verdicts in favor of the plaintiff had been overturned.MooreThe verdict of the case will also be reversed on appeal following the same logic.
From the litigation process, Johnson & Johnson once attempted to go through bankruptcy proceedings“One-stop”Resolving the talcum powder dispute, but repeatedly encountering setbacks.2025Year4In the month, a Houston judge dismissed Johnson & Johnson's third proposed bankruptcy settlement plan, which aimed to...90Billion dollars through Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code11Chapter Solving About9Ten Thousand Talcum Powder Lawsuits: This Defeat Directly Led Johnson & Johnson to Abandon the Bankruptcy Path and Instead Choose to Address Cases Individually in Court.
Johnson & Johnson at the timeCEOJoaquin DuatoIt was emphasized during the teleconference that the company, in the recent17Won the talcum powder case that went to trial.16However, the recent hefty compensation verdict in Los Angeles has undoubtedly undermined this confidence.
Reviewing past rulings, Johnson & Johnson has not been without defeats in talcum powder litigation, and these losses often come with hefty compensations.2018In a certain year, a court in Missouri ruled that Johnson & Johnson should pay compensation to plaintiffs from12Each state's22Ovarian cancer patients pay47Hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation, although the amount was later reduced by the state appellate court to21billion dollars, but still the astronomical compensation for such cases at that time;2024Year, an Illinois jury ruled that Johnson & Johnson should pay compensation to the family of a deceased mesothelioma patient.4500Million USD; in the same year, in a mesothelioma case in Oregon, the jury initially awarded2.6billion dollars, but later Johnson & Johnson was granted a retrial opportunity after a state judge overturned the verdict.
To avoid ongoing legal risks, Johnson & Johnson has gradually exited the talcum powder product market:2020North America was the first to discontinue talcum powder baby products in ...2023The company expanded this ban globally in the year, and currently, all its sold baby powder has been replaced with the cornstarch version.
But even so, the existing litigation remains as“The Sword of Damocles”Hanging over Johnson & Johnson's head, this time9.66The billion-dollar compensation verdict not only intensified the company's financial pressure but also further impacted its century-old brand reputation. In the future, as the appeal process advances and more scattered cases are heard, it remains uncertain whether Johnson & Johnson can摆脱滑石粉争议的.“Long Tail Effect”, remains to be seen.
Reference:fierce biotech
