Carson City, NV — Attorney General Aaron Ford announced today 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 containing talc. As part of this settlement, 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 health 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 regarding the safety and purity of some of its talc powder products. As part of the lawsuit, Johnson & Johnson has agreed to stop manufacturing and selling its baby powder and body powder products containing talc in the United States.
Johnson & Johnson sold such products for over one hundred years. After the coalition of states began investigating, the company ceased distributing and selling these products in the United States and more recently ended global sales. While this lawsuit targeted deceptive marketing practices, 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 manufacturing, marketing, promotion, sale, or distribution of all baby and body powder products containing talcum powder in the United States.
- Permanently stop manufacturing any covered products in the United States either directly or indirectly through any third party.
- Permanently stop marketing and promoting any covered products in the United States either directly or indirectly through any third party.
- Permanently stop selling or distributing any covered products in the United States either directly or indirectly through any third party.
AG Ford joins this settlement with lead attorneys general from Texas, Florida, North Carolina, along with those from 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 Wisconsin joining.
View the settlement document.