California Attorney General Rob Bonta, along with a bipartisan coalition of 42 state attorneys general, announced a $700 million multistate settlement with Johnson & Johnson (J&J) for violating consumer protection laws. The company was accused of misrepresenting the safety of its talc-based products by failing to disclose the potential presence of asbestos and its associated health risks.
The proposed settlement, pending court approval, prohibits J&J from resuming the manufacture, marketing, promotion, sale, and distribution of talc-based products. J&J ceased selling these products in the United States and Canada in 2020.
"Johnson & Johnson knew that it could not ensure the safety of its products for women and children and chose to prioritize profit over honesty. It's unacceptable, and for the people who were harmed, it's devastating," said Attorney General Bonta. "Today and every day, I take pride in serving the people of California and holding those who compromise consumer safety accountable."
Since 1992, J&J sold over 600 million talc products nationwide. These were marketed primarily as baby powder for infants and genital hygiene products for women. Despite being marketed as safe and pure, long-standing studies have suggested a possible association between talc use in the genital area and ovarian cancer.
Talc and asbestos are naturally occurring minerals that can be found close together in nature. Asbestos contamination in talc is possible but difficult to detect. Asbestos exposure is linked to several life-threatening diseases including mesothelioma, lung cancer, gastrointestinal cancer, fibrosis, other lung disorders. It kills more than 12,000 people annually in the U.S., with no safe level of exposure established.
In securing this settlement, Attorney General Bonta collaborated with attorneys general from Texas, Florida, North Carolina among others across multiple states including Alabama to Wisconsin as well as the District of Columbia.
Attorney General Bonta has shown commitment to addressing harm caused by unlawful business practices. In May alone he announced settlements totaling over $10 million involving major U.S. wireless carriers for deceptive advertising practices and Liberty Tax for misleading advertisements regarding tax refund advances.
A copy of the proposed stipulated judgment will be made available upon court approval.