The family of a California woman who died from the deadly cancer mesothelioma after being exposed to talc-based baby powder contaminated with asbestos won a $32 million judgment from a jury in Los Angeles, marking another in a long series of successful lawsuits against the pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson.
Maria Lozano died in 2024 after suffering from pleural mesothelioma, a form of the disease found in the lining of the lungs, and her case was continued by her three children after her death.
More About the Mesothelioma Lawsuit
Starting in the 1970s, Maria Lozano regularly used Johnson & Johnson talc-based baby powder on herself and her three children, exposing her to asbestos that led to her developing pleural mesothelioma years later. Pleural mesothelioma is the most common form of the disease, which is only developed through exposure to asbestos.
Although Johnson & Johnson’s attorneys attempted to argue that her asbestos exposure was instead caused by her spending the first 21 years of her life in Mexico City, the jury rejected those alternate explanations and found Johnson & Johnson solely at fault for Lozano’s death.
“Maria Lozano spent decades trusting and using Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder on herself and her children,” said attorney Mark Linder, who represented the Lozano family. “The jury saw the devastating consequences of that exposure and returned a verdict that holds Johnson & Johnson accountable for the harm caused to this family.”
Talc’s Link to Asbestos Cases
Talc is often used in powders and cosmetics to absorb moisture and improve skin health. However, talc and asbestos are both naturally occurring minerals that are often found near one another in the Earth’s soil, leading to potential contamination without careful mining practices.
Although talc itself has never been linked to any greater risk of cancer, sharp asbestos fibers can easily hide within talc waiting to be released into the air. Aside from mesothelioma, asbestos has been linked to several forms of lung and ovarian cancers.
Johnson & Johnson Suffers Another Blow
The discovery that talc used in Johnson & Johnson’s popular and widespread talc-based baby powder products had been contaminated with asbestos led to the product line’s discontinuation in 2020. However, evidence that the company had previously known about the dangers of asbestos-contaminated talc and failed to properly take action has opened the company up to a number of lawsuits.
The contamination of Johnson & Johnson’s talc-based products has been linked to a high number of cancer cases, and the company currently faces over 60,000 cancer-related lawsuits from people who used Johnson & Johnson products. The lawsuits continue to proceed despite several failed attempts from Johnson & Johnson to use bankruptcy tactics to avoid going to court.
Juries have frequently sided with the plaintiffs in these trials, leading to extremely lucrative verdicts for the victims and their families. In December 2025, a Baltimore jury ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay a $1.5 billion judgment to a mother of five with peritoneal mesothelioma, the largest such judgment ever delivered.
Mesothelioma compensation can cover the high costs of treatment and the challenges that come with lost wages from not being able to work due to declining health. Victims such as yourself or your loved one with cancer deserve this financial help, paid directly from the company responsible for bringing asbestos into your home.
Contact our patient advocates to learn about your compensation options. Email Carl Jewett at cjewett@mesotheliomaguide.com to learn if your cancer diagnosis and use of Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder could lead to a settlement or verdict.
Sources & Author
Johnson & Johnson Hit with $32 Million Verdict in Los Angeles Asbestos Trial. Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved from: https://lasvegassun.com/news/2026/jun/10/johnson-johnson-hit-with-32-million-verdict-in-los/. Accessed: 06/12/2026.
