A jury in New Orleans awarded the family of a deceased woman $3 million in a mesothelioma lawsuit involving Johnson & Johnson. This verdict is the latest against the health and beauty corporation, which has spent the last several years desperately trying to avoid facing lawsuits via a bankruptcy strategy.
The woman who filed the original lawsuit, Jeanine H., passed away in January 2024 at age 72. Her family continued the lawsuit after her death.
Mesothelioma From Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder
The victim alleged a lifetime of using Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder, which for decades included the mineral talc as an ingredient. Talc has skincare qualities, such as absorbing moisture.
Companies grind talc into a powder for baby powders and other skin powders. Mothers have used talcum powders such as Johnson & Johnson’s for decades on their children and themselves.
Talc can mix with asbestos, which is a mineral capable of causing cancer. This can potentially contaminate products such as Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder.
Asbestos is the only cause of mesothelioma, which is a rare and aggressive cancer that forms in the lining of the lungs, abdomen or heart. Asbestos can also cause lung cancer and ovarian cancer. Asbestos fibers can float in the air, where people using talcum powders can unknowingly inhale them. The fibers can get stuck in cell linings and cause mutations, which lead to cancer.
Johnson & Johnson denied the risk of asbestos in the talcum powder – despite an increasing volume of lawsuits saying otherwise and even FDA tests confirming the presence of asbestos in samples. Other reports claim Johnson & Johnson executives knew of the asbestos risks and tried to hide them from the public while continuing to produce, market, and sell Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder.
During the two-month trial in New Orleans, attorneys proved the victim’s daily use of the talcum powder on her children was linked to her mesothelioma. They also presented evidence of Johnson & Johnson knowing of the dangers and keeping them from consumers.
Johnson & Johnson’s Bankruptcy Road
During the past few years, Johnson & Johnson’s has tried to avert lawsuits by preparing a bankruptcy filing. The company planned to create a subsidiary, which would file for Chapter 11 reorganization bankruptcy. This would settle pending lawsuits and prevent future claims against the company – directing all to an asbestos trust fund payout system, which is much less than a lawsuit verdict or settlement.
The company has made three separate attempts at this bankruptcy tactic, and all three have been rejected in the court system. Johnson & Johnson’s remains a viable defendant and eligible to be taken to court by mesothelioma victims and their families.
The trial in New Orleans restarted in March 2025, after a judge blocked the most recent bankruptcy filing. Unfortunately, these maneuverings delayed the trial enough for the victim to pass away before she could witness justice on her behalf.
Contact the experts at Mesothelioma Guide for legal help with your mesothelioma case. They’ll put you in touch with a law firm that specializes in asbestos exposure claims. Email Carl Jewett at cjewett@mesotheliomaguide.com for quick help.
Sources & Author
- Jury Orders Johnson & Johnson to Pay $3 Million in Mesothelioma Death of New Orleans Woman. BusinessWire. Retrieved from: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250508736803/en/Jury-Orders-Johnson-Johnson-to-Pay-%243-Million-in-Mesothelioma-Death-of-New-Orleans-Woman. Accessed: 05/27/2025.
Sources & Author
