PENSACOLA, Fla., July 27, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Levin Papantonio and its attorneys are proud to announce a landmark settlement agreement with Johnson & Johnson over its tainted talc products. J&J’s talc products, including its flagship Johnson’s Baby Powder, have contained asbestos, which is capable of causing cancers including ovarian cancer and mesothelioma. The settlement, which is one of the largest products liability settlements in U.S. history, would provide a minimum of $5.5 billion to approximately 70,000 sickened women and their families. Levin Papantonio supports this settlement and encourages plaintiffs to take advantage of the chance to finally end this sprawling litigation.
Johnson & Johnson spent more than sixty years building Johnson’s Baby Powder into one of the most trusted brand names in American households, telling women to trust the product on their own bodies and for use on their babies. However, that trust was abused. The fact is, Johnson & Johnson has known about the asbestos contamination for decades, and did not tell the truth.
Levin Papantonio attorneys, including shareholder Christopher Tisi, shareholder Cameron Stephenson, and associate Sara Papantonio, were part of building the case against asbestos-laden talc. LP lawyers did everything from assembling the evidence of J&J’s deception, to gathering the critical science, to standing up for families in court and trying cases to verdict.
Mr. Tisi is a member of the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee in MDL No. 2738 (D.N.J.), one of a handful of lawyers across the country selected by the federal court to lead this fight for justice. He stated: “We have been battling Johnson & Johnson in and out of court for years. We have watched countless clients suffer grievously from J&J’s deception. I am proud to say that this settlement will provide resolution to the lawsuits. Nothing can restore the health or the lives of those who have died from asbestos cancers.”
The agreement resolves claims alleging that Johnson’s Baby Powder and other Johnson & Johnson talc products caused ovarian cancer, mesothelioma, and other serious illnesses. Compensation will be determined through a tiered grid based on objective claim criteria, and because the settlement is uncapped, its total value is not limited to a fixed fund divided among all participants. The settlement remains subject to certain conditions, including participation requirements and enrollment deadlines, and is unanimously supported by the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee.
Levin Papantonio clients can expect to hear from the firm immediately, and Levin Papantonio attorneys will be available to discuss the road ahead. Today’s announcement is only the first step, and the firm will continue to advocate for its clients until every case is closed.
Background: A Decade in the Making
The roots of the case stretch back decades. As early as the 1970s, researchers found talc particles in the ovarian tumors of women who had used the powder for feminine hygiene. By the 1980s, epidemiological studies were drawing a line between that use and ovarian cancer. Levin Papantonio attorneys have argued that internal Johnson & Johnson documents show the company was aware of the risk and repeatedly chose not to warn the public or switch to a safe cornstarch-based formula that it had on hand.
Johnson & Johnson has disputed the allegations and maintained that its products were safe. But as verdicts and scientific rulings mounted against it, the company discontinued U.S. and Canadian sales of talc-based baby powder in 2020, and announced in 2022 it would discontinue selling talc worldwide.
Rather than face juries, Johnson & Johnson turned three times to Chapter 11 bankruptcy, attempting to push its talc liabilities into a subsidiary and cap what women and families could recover. Courts rejected the maneuver each time. In March 2025, a bankruptcy court rejected the company’s third plan outright, and Johnson & Johnson announced it would not appeal, clearing the way for the MDL and state court cases to move forward.
With the bankruptcy strategy exhausted, the litigation moved back into the courtroom, and the wins for plaintiffs kept coming. In October 2025, a Florida jury awarded $20 million to the family of Dr. Alberto Casaretto in a talc mesothelioma case, a verdict secured by a trial team that included Levin Papantonio attorneys Chris Tisi, Cameron Stephenson, and Sara Papantonio.
“Representing the Casaretto family was the honor of a lifetime,” said Mr. Stephenson.
By 2026, more than 67,000 cases were pending in the federal MDL alone, with thousands more in state courts. It was that volume, combined with the losses in bankruptcy court and at trial, that ultimately brought Johnson & Johnson to the negotiating table.
Timeline of the Talc Litigation
2016: The federal talcum powder multidistrict litigation, MDL No. 2738, is established in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey to coordinate thousands of claims against Johnson & Johnson.
2020: Johnson & Johnson discontinues sales of talc-based Johnson’s Baby Powder in the United States and Canada.
2022: The company announces it will transition to a cornstarch-based formulation and discontinue talc-based baby powder worldwide.
2021–2025: Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiaries make three separate attempts to resolve the litigation through Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Courts reject each attempt.
March 2025: A bankruptcy court rejects the company’s third proposed plan. Johnson & Johnson announces it will not appeal.
October 2025: A Florida jury awards $20 million to the family of Dr. Alberto Casaretto, with Levin Papantonio attorneys Chris Tisi, Cameron Stephenson, and Sara Papantonio on the trial team.
January 2026: A Special Master rules that plaintiffs may present expert testimony supporting general causation in ovarian cancer cases.
2026: The federal MDL grows to more than 67,000 pending cases, with thousands more proceeding in state courts.
July 2026: Plaintiffs’ leadership announces the $5.5 billion settlement resolving current and pending claims in the federal MDL and related state court proceedings.
About Levin Papantonio
Founded in 1955 in Pensacola, Florida, Levin Papantonio represents individuals and families in personal injury, mass tort, and consumer protection litigation against some of the largest corporations in the country. Working alongside co-counsel nationwide, the firm has helped recover more than $80 billion on behalf of clients across major multidistrict litigation, including talc, opioids, and other pharmaceutical and product liability matters.
Media Contact
Matt Warren | Levin Papantonio | mwarren@levinlaw.com | 850-435-7030
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
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