Press Releases
06/11/2024
Attorney General Tong Announces $700 Million Settlement Against Johnson and Johnson
(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong and 42 other attorneys general today announced 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 the settlement, Connecticut will receive $9,273,125.22. This settlement is pending judicial approval.“Johnson & Johnson marketed their talc baby and body powder as ‘safe’ and ‘pure’ when they knew their products were anything but. Millions of American consumers purchased and used their products for over a century, including some who may have developed ovarian cancer and mesothelioma as a result. As a result of our multistate investigation, Johnson & Johnson stopped selling these deadly products. Our settlement today holds the company accountable for decades of deceptive marketing and misconduct, and ensures they will never resume sale of unsafe talc powder again,” said Attorney General Tong.
"Consumers have trusted brands like Johnson & Johnson to take care of their families for decades because the products they sold were marketed as safe," said Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner Bryan T. Cafferelli. "Companies have a responsibility not only to ensure their products are safe, but to market them accurately, and no company is exempt from that expectation."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 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.
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 any Covered Products in the United States either directly, or indirectly through any third party.
Texas, Florida, and North Carolina led the multistate settlement, with 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.
To read the settlement, click here.
Assistant Attorney General Brendan Flynn and Deputy Associate Attorney General Michael Wertheimer, Chief of the Consumer Protection Section, assisted the Attorney General in this matter.
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Media Contact:
Elizabeth Benton
elizabeth.benton@ct.gov
Consumer Inquiries:
860-808-5318
attorney.general@ct.gov