It started with a yellow bottle. For decades, Johnson’s Baby Powder was the smell of "clean" in bathrooms across the globe. You probably had it in your cabinet. Your mom definitely did. But for tens of thousands of women, that ritual of using talc-based powder for personal hygiene turned into a nightmare of medical bills and chemotherapy.
Honestly, the legal battle over whether Johnson and Johnson sued for ovarian cancer is one of the messiest chapters in corporate history. It’s not just about a product; it’s about what the company knew, when they knew it, and the "Texas Two-Step" legal dance they’ve been trying to pull off for years. As of early 2026, the saga is far from over.
The Core Conflict: Why Is Johnson and Johnson Being Sued?
Basically, the lawsuits boil down to one specific allegation: talcum powder causes ovarian cancer when used for feminine hygiene.
Talc is a soft mineral. It’s often found in the earth near asbestos, which is a known carcinogen. Plaintiffs argue that J&J's talc was contaminated with asbestos fibers or that the talc particles themselves migrated into the ovaries, causing chronic inflammation that leads to cancer.
You’ve probably seen the headlines about billion-dollar verdicts. Just recently, in December 2025, a Maryland jury awarded a staggering $1.56 billion in a case involving talc and mesothelioma. While mesothelioma is a different beast, the evidence regarding asbestos contamination often overlaps with the ovarian cancer claims.
In the ovarian cancer world specifically, a Los Angeles jury recently ordered J&J to pay $40 million to two women—Monica Kent and Deborah Schultz—who used the powder for decades. The jury found J&J negligent. They found J&J failed to warn people. That’s the recurring theme here.
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The "Texas Two-Step" and the Bankruptcy Mess
J&J has tried to end this. Multiple times.
They used a controversial legal maneuver called the "Texas Two-Step." They created a subsidiary (LTL Management, later Red River Talc), dumped all the lawsuits into it, and then had that company file for bankruptcy. It was a bold move to cap their liability at a fixed amount—roughly $8 billion to $10 billion—and stop the individual trials.
It didn't work. Courts have repeatedly slapped this down. Judges ruled that J&J itself isn't in "financial distress," so using bankruptcy to dodge lawsuits isn't quite kosher. In March 2025, a federal judge rejected the third bankruptcy attempt.
Because of that rejection, the floodgates are open again.
The Current State of the MDL in 2026
Right now, we are looking at a massive Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) in New Jersey.
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- Case Count: As of January 2026, there are approximately 67,580 active lawsuits in the federal MDL.
- The Trend: New cases are still being filed, though the total count fluctuated slightly as some non-ovarian claims were dismissed.
- Bellwether Trials: These are "test cases" that help both sides see how a jury might react. The $40 million Los Angeles verdict in late 2025 was a huge signal that juries are still siding with plaintiffs on the "failure to warn" argument.
J&J maintains their products are safe. They point to decades of independent science. They say the verdicts are driven by emotion, not facts. But when you’re a juror looking at internal memos from the 1970s discussing "asbestos-like" fibers, the science gets a lot more complicated.
Is the Powder Still on Shelves?
Kinda, but not the version you remember.
J&J stopped selling talc-based baby powder in the U.S. and Canada in 2020. They went global with that move in 2023. If you buy Johnson’s Baby Powder today, it’s made with cornstarch.
Cornstarch is a larger particle. It doesn't have the asbestos-contamination risk associated with mining talc. So, for current consumers, the risk profile has fundamentally changed. The lawsuits, however, are focused on the decades of exposure women had before the switch.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Lawsuits
People often think this is just a "get rich quick" thing for lawyers. It’s not.
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Ovarian cancer is a brutal diagnosis. Many of the original plaintiffs in the 2018 St. Louis case—the one that resulted in a $4.69 billion verdict (later reduced to $2.1 billion)—passed away before they ever saw a dime.
Another misconception? That the FDA "cleared" the powder. Actually, in 2019, the FDA found trace amounts of asbestos in a sample of J&J powder, which triggered a voluntary recall of 33,000 bottles. That moment was a turning point. It made the "asbestos-free" claim a lot harder to defend in court.
Actionable Steps: What Should You Do?
If you or a loved one used J&J talc products for years and received an ovarian cancer diagnosis, here is the ground reality for 2026:
- Check the Timeline: Most successful claims involve "regular and prolonged" use—usually daily use for 5 to 10+ years. If you used it once at a picnic, you likely don't have a case.
- Gather Medical Records: The specific pathology of the tumor matters. Some lawyers look for "talc bodies" in the tissue samples, though this isn't always required.
- Monitor the Settlement Talks: With the bankruptcy plan dead, J&J is under pressure. There are rumors of a global settlement negotiation happening in early 2026. If you have a claim, you need to be in the system before a "cutoff date" is established.
- Talk to a Specialist: Don't just call a local car accident lawyer. These mass torts are incredibly complex. You need a firm that is already active in the MDL 2738.
The reality is that Johnson and Johnson sued for ovarian cancer remains one of the largest consumer safety litigations in history. It’s a battle of experts, with J&J’s scientists on one side and the plaintiffs' epidemiologists on the other.
With more trials scheduled in Philadelphia and New Jersey for the first half of 2026, we are finally approaching a "put up or shut up" moment for the company. Either they pay out a massive global settlement, or they face another decade of billion-dollar jury rolls. For the 67,000 women waiting for answers, the clock is ticking.