LITTLE ROCK – Attorney General Tim Griffin announced today that Arkansas will receive $12,716,700.92 as part of a nationwide $700 million settlement with Johnson & Johnson over its marketing of talc-based baby powder and body powder products.
"This settlement arose from allegations that Johnson & Johnson deceptively promoted and misled consumers about the safety and purity of its talc-based powder products that had been sold by the company for over a hundred years," Griffin stated.
Johnson & Johnson has agreed to cease the manufacture and sale of talc-based baby powder and body powder products in the United States. "I thank my office’s Consumer Protection Division for their diligence and effort as part of the coalition of 42 states that came together to hold the company accountable," Griffin added.
The multistate lawsuit addressed deceptive marketing practices related to these products. Following the investigation by the coalition of states, Johnson & Johnson stopped distributing and selling these products in the United States and recently ended global sales.
Under the consent judgment, which is pending judicial approval, Texas, Florida, and North Carolina led the multistate settlement effort, with participation from Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New York North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Rhode Island South Dakota Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin joining.
Attorney General Tim Griffin was sworn in as the 57th Attorney General of Arkansas on January 10 2023 having previously served as Lieutenant Governor from 2015-2023. He also served as a representative for Arkansas's Second Congressional District from 2011-2015 where he was involved in several House Committees including Ways and Means Armed Services Foreign Affairs Ethics Judiciary while serving as Deputy Whip for the Majority.
Griffin has been an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps for more than 27 years currently holding the rank of colonel. His service includes time at Fort Campbell Kentucky with deployments such as Mosul Iraq with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). He is presently Commander of the 2d Legal Operations Detachment in New Orleans Louisiana with previous commands at Fort Liberty (formerly Bragg) North Carolina among other roles at The Pentagon.
Griffin's educational background includes degrees from Hendrix College Tulane Law School graduate studies at Oxford University a master’s degree in strategic studies from U.S. Army War College Carlisle Barracks Pennsylvania.
Griffin lives in Little Rock with his wife Elizabeth a Camden native and their three children.
___