Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and 42 other attorney generals reached a $700 million nationwide settlement to resolve allegations about marketing Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder and body powder products containing talc.
The information filed in the lawsuit addresses allegations that Johnson & Johnson deceptively promoted and misled consumers in advertisements related to the safety and purity of some of its talc powder products.
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As part of the lawsuit, Johnson & Johnson agreed to stop manufacturing and selling its talc-containing baby powder and body powder products in the United States.
The suit says Johnson & Johnson sold such products for over 100 years.
After the coalition of states began investigating, the company stopped distributing and selling those products in the United States and, more recently, ended global sales.
While the lawsuit targeted the deceptive marketing of these products, numerous other lawsuits filed by private plaintiffs in class actions raised allegations that talc causes serious health issues, including mesothelioma and ovarian cancer.
Under the consent judgment, Johnson & Johnson:
- Has ceased and not resumed the manufacturing, marketing, promotion, sale, and distribution of all baby and body powder products and cosmetic powder products that contain talcum powder, including, but not limited to, Johnson’s Baby Powder and Johnson & Johnson’s Shower to Shower (“Covered Products”) in the United States
- Shall permanently stop the manufacture of any Covered Products in the United States either directly or indirectly through any third party
- Shall permanently stop the marketing and promotion of any covered products in the United States, either directly or indirectly, through any third party
- Shall permanently stop the sale or distribution of any covered products in the United States either directly or indirectly through any third party
Michigan will receive $20,615,040.58 as part of the settlement, pending judicial approval.
Michigan is joined on the multistate settlement by the attorneys general of Texas, Florida, and North Carolina, as well as Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
