Verdict: A Minnesota jury awarded $65.5 million to Anna Jean Houghton Carley after finding Johnson & Johnson’s talc-based baby powder contributed to her mesothelioma diagnosis. Claims: Plaintiffs argued the powder exposed Carley to asbestos and that the company knew of contamination risks. Response: J&J denies the claims, calls the science flawed, and plans to appeal. The product was pulled from U.S. shelves in 2020 and discontinued worldwide in 2023.
J&J Hit With $65.5M Verdict After Minnesota Jury Links Baby Powder To Mesothelioma
Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via GettySignage outside Johnson & Johnson offices in Irvine, California.
A Minnesota jury has awarded $65.5 million to Anna Jean Houghton Carley, a 37-year-old mother of three, after finding that Johnson & Johnson’s talc-based baby powder contributed to her diagnosis of mesothelioma.
The verdict was returned on Dec. 19 in Ramsey County District Court following a 13-day trial. Carley’s attorneys argued the powder exposed her to asbestos and that Johnson & Johnson knew talc-based products could be contaminated with the known carcinogen. Carley filed suit in March after being diagnosed earlier this year.
Firdous Nazir/NurPhoto via GettyA bottle of Johnson's Baby Powder, made by Johnson & Johnson
The Award: The $65.5 million is compensatory and intended to cover Carley’s past and future losses related to her illness. Plaintiffs’ counsel Ben Braly said the verdict cannot undo the suffering of Carley, her husband Mike, and their children, and called the case about “truth and accountability.” Braly’s firm said the award is believed to be the largest asbestos-related verdict in Minnesota history.
Company Response: Johnson & Johnson said it will appeal the decision. Erik Haas, the company’s worldwide vice president of litigation, reiterated that the company’s baby powder is safe, maintains it did not contain asbestos, and said the lawsuits rely on what he described as "junk science." Johnson & Johnson also plans to challenge several other similar rulings.
Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via GettySignage outside Johnson & Johnson offices in Irvine, California.
“These lawsuits are predicated on 'junk science,' refuted by decades of studies that demonstrate Johnson & Johnson's Baby Powder is safe,” said Erik Haas in a post-trial statement.
Context: The specific talc product at issue was removed from U.S. shelves in 2020, and Johnson & Johnson announced it would stop selling talc-based powder worldwide in 2023. The Minnesota decision is one of many lawsuits alleging asbestos contamination in Johnson & Johnson talc products, with plaintiffs linking them to mesothelioma and ovarian cancer. Earlier the same week, a Los Angeles jury awarded $40 million to two women who said J&J’s baby powder caused their ovarian cancer; that decision is also expected to be appealed.
What’s Next: Johnson & Johnson has signaled it will seek reversal on appeal. If upheld, the verdict may influence other pending talc-related cases; if reversed, it would continue the company’s long legal fight over product safety and liability.
