Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, along with 42 other attorneys general, has secured a $700 million settlement with Johnson & Johnson over allegations related to the marketing of the company’s talc-containing baby powder and body powder products. Ohio will receive $27.7 million as part of this settlement.
“Transparency is non-negotiable when it comes to consumer safety,” Yost stated. “Selling harmful products without disclosing the risks is unacceptable and our legal action ensures companies are held accountable.”
The settlement, which was approved by a Franklin County Common Pleas Court judge, addresses claims that Johnson & Johnson misled consumers about the safety of its talc powder products. As part of the agreement, Johnson & Johnson has permanently ceased making, marketing, promoting, selling or distributing any talc-based baby and body powders in the United States, either directly or through any third party.
This agreement concludes an investigation initiated by the states in 2019 regarding whether Johnson & Johnson misrepresented the safety of their talc products, failed to disclose the presence of asbestos in the talc, and did not inform consumers that asbestos in the talc could lead to cancer.
Johnson & Johnson has sold these products for more than a century. However, following the initiation of state investigations, the company stopped distributing and selling these products in the U.S. and has since halted global sales. This lawsuit focused on deceptive marketing practices while other private lawsuits have claimed that talc can cause mesothelioma, ovarian cancer and other serious health issues.
Texas, Florida and North Carolina led this lawsuit and were joined by Ohio, the District of Columbia and 39 other states including Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa Kansas Kentucky Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New York North Dakota Oklahoma Oregon Rhode Island South Dakota Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin.
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