More than 67,000 women have sued Johnson & Johnson, alleging that talc-based baby powder caused ovarian cancer. Learn about MDL 2738, recent verdicts, and your legal rights. Free case review.
Start Your Free Case Review →For decades, millions of women used Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower as part of their daily hygiene routine — products they trusted for their softness and the reassurance of a household name. What they were not told was that scientific evidence had long linked the genital application of talc-based powder to an elevated risk of ovarian cancer, and that their baby powder may have been contaminated with asbestos, a known carcinogen.
Today, more than 67,000 women and their families have filed lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson, making this the largest active mass tort in the federal court system. If you or a loved one used Johnson’s Baby Powder or a similar talc product and were later diagnosed with ovarian cancer, you may have the right to seek compensation.
The lawsuits allege two core failures by Johnson & Johnson:
1. Asbestos contamination. Internal company documents and independent testing have shown that some batches of J&J’s talc were contaminated with asbestos, a substance that causes mesothelioma and other serious cancers. Plaintiffs allege that J&J knew about this contamination and concealed it from consumers and regulators.
2. Failure to warn about cancer risk. Multiple epidemiological studies — including large-scale research published in peer-reviewed journals — have found that women who regularly used talcum powder in the genital area faced a meaningfully higher risk of developing ovarian cancer. Plaintiffs allege J&J had access to this science and chose not to warn users.
The products at the center of the litigation include Johnson’s Baby Powder, Shower to Shower, and other talc-based personal care products applied in the genital area over months or years.
This litigation has had a winding path, but as of April 2026 it is very much alive and moving forward:
Johnson & Johnson’s bankruptcy strategy failed. J&J attempted three times to use a controversial legal maneuver — spinning off its talc liabilities into a newly created subsidiary and placing that entity into bankruptcy — in order to force a global settlement on its terms. A federal bankruptcy judge rejected the company’s third and final attempt in April 2025. J&J has confirmed it will not appeal and will proceed through the traditional court process.
The MDL is the largest in the country. As of April 2026, 67,376 cases are pending in MDL 2738 before Judge Michael A. Shipp in the District of New Jersey. The docket added more than 9,000 cases in the past year alone, reflecting ongoing public awareness and the continued filing of claims.
Experts cleared to testify. In January 2026, U.S. District Judge Freda Wilson — a retired judge serving as Special Master — issued a landmark 685-page report recommending that plaintiffs’ expert witnesses be permitted to testify about the link between genital talcum powder use and ovarian cancer. Judge Wilson found that the experts “applied reliable methodologies.” This ruling is a significant milestone for plaintiffs.
Mediation is underway. A court-supervised mediation session was scheduled for April 27, 2026, with veteran mediator Fouad Kurdi overseeing the process. Both sides have been ordered to send representatives with full settlement authority. Whether this produces a negotiated resolution or the parties proceed to bellwether trials remains to be seen.
Recent verdicts are staggering. In December 2025, a Baltimore jury awarded $1.56 billion to a single mesothelioma plaintiff who used J&J talc products. Earlier that month, a California jury awarded $40 million to two ovarian cancer plaintiffs. In October 2025, a jury awarded $966 million (later reduced to $16 million on punitive damages) in another mesothelioma case. These verdicts signal how seriously juries are taking the evidence.
You may qualify to file a talcum powder lawsuit if:
Surviving family members may also be able to bring a claim on behalf of a loved one who passed away from ovarian cancer or mesothelioma related to talc use.
There is no single answer, and no attorney can promise a specific outcome. Compensation in these cases depends on many individual factors, including the severity of the diagnosis, the duration and consistency of talc use, your age and health history, and the strength of the evidence in your case. Past jury verdicts have ranged from hundreds of thousands of dollars to well over a billion dollars for individual plaintiffs. A case evaluation with an attorney is the only way to get a meaningful picture of your potential claim.
Yes — and it matters. Each state sets its own statute of limitations for personal injury and product liability claims. Most range from one to three years from the date of diagnosis, though some states apply different rules for cases involving cancer or latent disease. Do not assume that time has run out — contact an attorney to find out where you stand.
For many women, ovarian cancer arrived without warning — after years or decades of trusting a product that was marketed as safe and gentle. The evidence that has emerged through this litigation tells a different story: internal documents suggest that Johnson & Johnson knew about contamination risks and about scientific findings on cancer risk, and continued selling the product anyway. This lawsuit is about accountability — and about getting compensation for the harm caused.
If you used Johnson’s Baby Powder in your personal hygiene routine and were later diagnosed with ovarian cancer, you owe it to yourself to find out whether you have a case. The consultation is free, there is no obligation, and you will never owe us anything unless we win.
Get a free, no obligation case evaluation here.