Attorney General Aaron M. Frey has announced a $700 million nationwide settlement involving Johnson & Johnson, in collaboration with 42 other attorneys general. The settlement addresses allegations concerning the marketing of the company's baby powder and body powder products containing talc.
The consent judgment filed in this lawsuit alleges that Johnson & Johnson deceptively promoted and misled consumers about the safety and purity of some of its talc powder products. As part of the agreement, Johnson & Johnson will cease manufacturing and selling these talc-based products in the United States.
Johnson & Johnson had sold such products for over a century. Following an investigation by a coalition of states, the company stopped distributing and selling these products domestically and recently ended global sales as well. While this lawsuit focused on deceptive marketing practices, other lawsuits filed by private plaintiffs in class actions have alleged that talc causes serious health issues including mesothelioma and ovarian cancer.
"While deceiving consumers about the safety of a product is deplorable, it is particularly egregious that the unsafe product at issue was primarily marketed for babies," said Attorney General Frey.
As part of the settlement, Maine will receive over $4.8 million. This settlement is pending judicial approval.
Texas, Florida, and North Carolina led the multistate settlement effort, with Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, 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.