Plaintiff receives $63.4 million in damages in Johnson & Johnson baby powder lawsuit

Johnson & Johnson must pay millions in its latest baby powder lawsuit. A jury in South Carolina state court on Thursday ruled in favor of plaintiff Michael Perry, who attributed his mesothelioma to the company's talcum powder.

The court ordered J&J and co-defendant American International Industries to pay total damages of $63.4 million.

“Neither Michael nor any other consumer should be put in danger,” attorney Ben Adams, a partner at the law firm Dean Omar Branham Shirley, said in a statement. “Johnson & Johnson continues to refuse to accept responsibility for the lives they have taken. But today the jury saw through their tactics and delivered a measure of justice. And for that, we are deeply grateful.”

Johnson & Johnson, which has lost several baby powder lawsuits in recent months, plans to appeal the ruling.

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Connection between Johnson & Johnson baby powder and asbestos at the heart of the trial

Perry was first diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2023. This rare and aggressive cancer forms in the lining of the internal organs and is often the result of asbestos exposure.

According to the law firm Dean Omar Branham Shirley, testimony included in the trial showed that J&J knew its talc-based products contained asbestos as early as 1970. The company recalled 33,000 bottles of baby powder in 2019 after the FDA found asbestos in test samples.

Because of his deodorant allergy, Perry used J&J baby powder every day for years.

According to the Courtroom View Network, J&J pointed to brake pads that Perry had come into contact with while working in his father's garage as a possible source of asbestos contamination and the cause of his mesothelioma.

But the jury ultimately decided in favor of Perry.

The ruling follows several other major victories for plaintiffs in recent months. In June, an Oregon jury ordered J&J to pay $260 million to a woman who blamed the company's talcum powder for her mesothelioma.

Two months earlier, a jury in Illinois awarded $45 million in compensation to the family of a woman who died of mesothelioma after using Johnson & Johnson baby powder.

Talcum powder from Johnson & Johnson also linked to ovarian cancer

Johnson & Johnson has been facing litigation for years over its talc-containing baby powder, both over a possible link to mesothelioma and ovarian cancer.

There are currently over 57,000 lawsuits pending against J&J over talcum powder.

Studies have shown a link between talc consumption and ovarian cancer, although there is still no clear answer as to why this is the case. In July, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified talc as “probably carcinogenic.”

J&J is currently trying to resolve much of the ongoing litigation related to ovarian cancer. The company proposed a $6.48 billion settlement in May, which it would pay out over 25 years.

According to Bloomberg, J&J has reached the plaintiffs' vote threshold needed to move forward with the settlement, but court approval is still pending.

Editor Lindsay Donaldson contributed to this article.