A California jury has ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $40m (£31m) to two women who claimed the company's baby powder caused their ovarian cancer. The verdict, delivered in Los Angeles Superior Court, awarded $18m to Monica Kent and $22m to Deborah Schultz and her husband.
The jury found that Johnson & Johnson knew for years that its talc-based products were dangerous but failed to warn consumers. Kent was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2014, and Schultz in 2018. Both women, residents of California, testified that they had used the company's baby powder after bathing for 40 years.
Johnson & Johnson's vice-president of litigation, Erik Haas, said the company plans to appeal the verdict. The company faces lawsuits from more than 67,000 plaintiffs who allege their cancers were caused by its talc products. Johnson & Johnson maintains its products are safe and do not contain asbestos.
The company stopped selling talc-based baby powder in the US in 2020, switching to a cornstarch alternative. It has attempted to resolve the litigation through bankruptcy, a strategy rejected three times by federal courts, most recently in April.
