Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall and 42 state attorneys general have reached a $700 million nationwide settlement to resolve allegations related to the marketing of Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder and body powder products that contained talc. As part of the settlement, which is pending judicial approval, Alabama will receive $13,458,975.
The consent judgment filed in the lawsuit addresses allegations that Johnson & Johnson deceptively promoted and misled consumers in advertisements related to the safety and purity of some of its talc powder products. As part of the lawsuit, Johnson & Johnson has agreed to stop the manufacture and sale of its baby powder and body powder products that contain talc in the United States.
“For generations, Johnson & Johnson advertised baby powder as a ‘clinically proven’ product for women and girls. Yet, since the 1980s this same company has known of studies showing their talc powder products were tainted with carcinogenic asbestos, increasing a user’s risk of ovarian cancer. Our large bipartisan coalition investigated and took necessary action for knowingly exploiting and deceiving consumers,” said Attorney General Marshall. “This settlement cannot reverse the harms experienced by consumers, but it can ensure that no one else is exposed to these dangerous products in the future.”
Johnson & Johnson sold such products for over a hundred years. After the coalition of states began investigating, the company stopped distributing and selling these products in the United States and more recently ended global sales. While this lawsuit targeted the deceptive marketing of these products, numerous other lawsuits filed by private plaintiffs in class actions raised allegations that talc causes serious health issues including mesothelioma and ovarian cancer.
Under the consent judgment:
The State’s share of the settlement will be paid by J&J in four annual installments, beginning next month, to be used for consumer protection enforcement and education.
Texas, Florida, and North Carolina led the multistate settlement, with 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.
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