Johnson and Johnson is set to pay nearly $6.5 billion to tens of thousands of people who say its talcum powder gave them ovarian cancer.
The agreement, revealed today, would allow the pharmaceutical giant to resolve the more than 54,000 lawsuits and any future claims it may face over the powder.
It comes after the company also revealed it would pay about $700 million to dozens of states to resolve allegations that it misled consumers by covering up talc’s links to cancer.
New Jersey-based J&J has not admitted any wrongdoing and continues to insist that its talcum powder is safe, does not contain asbestos and does not cause cancer.
J&J will pay nearly $6.5 billion to settle more than 54,000 lawsuits it faces over claims that its talcum powder has caused ovarian cancer.
Lora Stahl, 56, of Nebraska, pictured here with her husband Herb and grandson, is one of more than 54,000 people who say J&J’s baby powder gave them cancer. She previously suffered from ovarian cancer.
The deal marks the third time J&J has considered filing for subsidiary bankruptcy to resolve lawsuits after courts rejected its two previous attempts.
The latest proposal will now enter a three-month voting period at the company before being finalized.
The previous bankruptcy filing put the case on hold, but in July 2023 a federal judge ruled that the second case should be dismissed, allowing the third to proceed.
It was unclear how much each person who sued could be paid, but in previous cases, J&J paid $2.12 billion to 22 women who blamed their ovarian cancer on asbestos in its talcum powder.
Last month, J&J was also ordered to pay $45 million to the family of a baby powder user in Chicago.
Talc is a natural mineral that absorbs moisture and reduces friction, making it useful for keeping skin dry and helping prevent rashes.
It was used to make J&J baby powder, which was popular for decades because it helped babies avoid diaper rash and adults avoid diaper rash.
But the mineral, which is mined from the Earth, may contain small amounts of asbestos in its natural form, according to some studies, a carcinogen known to cause cancer when inhaled repeatedly.
Once asbestos fibers enter the body, they can become permanently lodged in soft tissues, over time causing serious cell damage and inflammation, which can lead to cancer.
Many of the claims come from women who say they have developed ovarian cancer due to the dust, or from people who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, a cancer around the heart that can be caused by inhaling toxic asbestos.
Among them is 56-year-old Lora Stahl of Nebraska, who says she had to have a hysterectomy and was robbed of the opportunity to grow her family after baby powder caused a cancerous tumor to form in her ovaries.
She was diagnosed with stage two ovarian cancer at the age of 35, and doctors had to remove her uterus, cervix and ovaries to stop the spread of the disease.
Speaking to DailyMail.com, she said: ‘I was still of childbearing age, my husband and I were still young. I was lying there and realized, “Oh my God, I can’t have kids anymore. We’re done having a family, we have no choice. It’s not my choice anymore.”
Another plaintiff is 24-year-old Emory Valadez of California, who said the company’s baby powder caused her to develop a rare and deadly cancer.
In March of this year, J&J was given a new opportunity to challenge scientific evidence linking talc to ovarian cancer in centralized litigation in federal court in New Jersey.
The judge overseeing the cases said recent changes in the law and new scientific evidence require a new review, and asked J&J to present new arguments about the science by the end of July.
J&J said it will continue to defend itself against the lawsuits as it tries to rally votes for the deal.
The company said it has prevailed in 95 percent of the ovarian cases tried to date, including all ovarian cases tried in the past six years.
