Minnesota jury says Johnson & Johnson owes $65.5 million to woman with
cancer who used talcum powder
[December 20, 2025]
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A Minnesota jury awarded $65.5 million on
Friday to a mother of three who claimed talcum products made by Johnson
& Johnson exposed her to asbestos and contributed to her developing
cancer in the lining of her lungs.
Jurors determined that plaintiff Anna Jean Houghton Carley, 37, should
be compensated by Johnson & Johnson after using its baby powder
throughout her childhood and later developing mesothelioma, an
aggressive cancer caused primarily by exposure to the carcinogen
asbestos.
Johnson & Johnson said it would appeal the verdict.
During a 13-day trial in Ramsey County District Court, Carley's legal
team argued the pharmaceutical giant sold and marketed talc-based
products to consumers despite knowing it can be contaminated with
asbestos. Carley's lawyers also said her family was never warned about
potential dangers while using the product on their child. The product
was taken off shelves in the U.S. in 2020.
“This case was not about compensation only. It was about truth and
accountability," Carley's attorney Ben Braly said.
Erik Haas, worldwide vice president of litigation for Johnson & Johnson,
argued the company's baby powder is safe, does not contain asbestos and
does not cause cancer. He expects an appellate court to reverse the
decision.
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The Johnson & Johnson headquarters is in New Brunswick, New Jersey,
Feb. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)
 The verdict is the latest
development in a longstanding legal battle over claims that talc in
Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower body powder was connected
to ovarian cancer and mesothelioma, which strikes the lungs and
other organs. Johnson & Johnson stopped selling powder made with
talc worldwide in 2023.
“These lawsuits are predicated on ‘junk science,’ refuted by decades
of studies that demonstrate Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder is safe,
does not contain asbestos and does not cause cancer,” Haas said in a
statement after the verdict.
Earlier this month, a Los Angeles jury awarded $40 million to two
women who claimed Johnson & Johnson's talcum powder caused their
ovarian cancer. And in October, another California jury ordered the
company to pay $966 million to the family of a woman who died of
mesothelioma, claiming she developed the cancer because the baby
powder she used was contaminated with asbestos.
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