Press Release  Massachusetts To Receive Over $14 Million From Settlement With Johnson & Johnson For Alleged Deceptive Marketing Of Talc-Containing Products

Boston — Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell and 42 other attorneys general have reached a $700 million nationwide settlement, via a proposed consent judgment filed today in Suffolk Superior Court, with Johnson & Johnson to resolve allegations related to the marketing of Johnson & Johnson’s talc-containing baby powder and body powder products. Massachusetts is set to receive approximately $14.5 million through 2027 as part of the multistate consent judgment, which is pending judicial approval.  

The proposed 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.  

“For decades, Johnson & Johnson prioritized its own financial profit and risked the health and safety of consumers, including vulnerable infants and children, by deceiving consumers about the purity of its products,” said AG Campbell. “I am proud to join this multistate settlement, which will stop the company from continuing its harmful practices and protect consumers both in Massachusetts and nationwide.”  

Johnson & Johnson sold talc-containing baby powder and body powder products for over a 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.  

Pending court approval, under the proposed consent judgment Johnson & Johnson will:

• 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 any Covered Products in the United States either directly, or indirectly through any third party. 

           The proposed settlement in its entirety may be viewed here.

Joining AG Campbell in the multistate settlement, which was led by the attorneys general of Texas, Florida, and North Carolina, were 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, 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. 

In Massachusetts, this matter was handled by the AG’s Health Care Division, including Assistant Attorney General Michael Wong.  

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