AdvertisementAdvertisementThe Johnson & Johnson logo appears above a trading post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Jul 12, 2021. (File photo: AP/Richard Drew)28 Jul 2026 08:14AM Bookmark Bookmark WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedInAdd CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results.Read a summary of this article on FAST.Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST NEW YORK: Johnson & Johnson said on Monday (Jul 27) it would pay US$5.5 billion to resolve tens of thousands of lawsuits alleging its baby powder and other talc products cause ovarian cancer, in a landmark settlement aimed at closing a chapter of contentious litigation that has dogged the company for years.J&J said the settlement covers about 69,000 cases consolidated in federal court in New Jersey, and related cases in state court, totalling 99.75 per cent of the remaining talc claims.Plaintiffs' law firms confirmed the deal on Monday, saying it was a good resolution after a decade-long court battle. The deal must still be approved by the judge overseeing the federal litigation.J&J's vice president of litigation, Erik Haas, said the claims were "meritless" and that the company was willing to settle in order to get closure.Show MoreShow Less"While we are confident the company would have ultimately prevailed with further litigation, as it has in the vast majority of cases tried to date, this resolution allows the company to put this matter behind it and remain focused on its mission to develop medicines and devices that save lives," Haas said.J&J won a significant court victory in the long-running legal battle last week, when a federal judge cast doubt on individual plaintiffs' ability to prove that talc specifically caused their ovarian cancer.J&J has long denied that its talc products caused cancer, saying that talc was safe and did not contain asbestos. The company stopped selling talc-based baby powder in the US in 2020, switching to a cornstarch product.The litigation resumed in March 2025, after being put on hold for more than three years during J&J's repeated failed attempts to resolve the lawsuits through a shell company's bankruptcy.Unlike the proposed bankruptcy settlements, Monday's agreement applies only to existing claims and does not address future lawsuits.Source: Reuters/fhNewsletterWeek in ReviewSubscribe to our Chief Editor’s Week in ReviewOur chief editor shares analysis and picks of the week's biggest news every Saturday.Sign up for our newslettersGet our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inboxSubscribe hereGet the CNA appStay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best storiesDownload hereGet WhatsApp alertsJoin our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat appJoin hereAlso worth readingContent is loading...Expand to read the full storyGet bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST