Los Angeles jury orders Johnson & Johnson to pay $966 million in baby powder cancer case

A Los Angeles Superior Court jury has reportedly ordered Johnson & Johnson (J&J) to pay $966 million to the family of an 88-year-old California woman who died from mesothelioma, in one of the largest verdicts so far in the company’s ongoing talc-related litigation, as per reports.

According to reports, the jury on October 6, found J&J responsible for the death of Mae Moore, who passed away in 2021 after being diagnosed with the rare and aggressive cancer linked to asbestos exposure. The panel awarded $16 million in compensatory damages and an additional $950 million in punitive damages, concluding that the company’s talc-based baby powder and Shower-to-Shower products contained asbestos fibres that contributed to her illness.

Moore’s family had accused the pharmaceutical giant of knowingly concealing health risks associated with its talc products for decades, despite internal data allegedly pointing to possible contamination.

The ruling marks one of the largest individual awards in J&J’s 15-year legal battle over claims that its talc products caused cancer, according to multiple reports.

Reportedly, Johnson & Johnson continues to face thousands of similar lawsuits across the United States, even after announcing plans to replace talc with cornstarch in its baby powder products globally.