June 12, 2024
Carson City, NV — Today, Attorney General Aaron Ford announced that he and 42 other attorneys general have reached a $700 million nationwide settlement to resolve allegations related to the marketing of Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder and body powder products that contained talc. As part of this settlement, which is pending judicial approval, Nevada will receive $6,131,236.22.
"This case shows the danger of deceptive trade practices and their potential impacts on the heath and safety of consumers,” said AG Ford. “My office will always stand up against corporations who value their bottom line over their duty to the public. We will always work to hold such actors accountable.”
The consent judgment filed in this 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. As part of the lawsuit, Johnson & Johnson has agreed to stop the manufacture and sale of its baby powder and body powder products that contain talc in the United States.
Johnson & Johnson sold such products for over one hundred years. After the coalition of states began investigating, the company stopped distributing and selling these products in the United States and more recently ended global sales. While this 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 agreed to:
- Cease and not resume 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.
- Permanently stop the manufacture of any covered products in the United States either directly, or indirectly through any third party.
- Permanently stop the marketing and promotion of any covered products in the United States either directly, or indirectly through any third party.
- Permanently stop the sale or distribution of any covered products in the United States either directly, or indirectly through any third party.
AG Ford joins in the settlement with the lead attorneys general Texas, Florida and North Carolina, along with the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, 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 joining.
View the settlement document.
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