Texas to get $61.5 million as part of Johnson & Johnson baby powder lawsuit settlement
Texas will receive $61.5 million as part of a nationwide settlement against Johnson & Johnson over baby powder safety claims, AG Paxton said Tuesday. Texas will receive $61.5 million as part of a $700 million nationwide settlement against Johnson & Johnson over baby powder safety claims, according to Attorney General Ken Paxton. The settlement resolves allegations from Paxton and 42 other attorneys general that the pharmaceutical industry giant intentionally misled customers about the safety and purity of baby powder and talc products containing talc. As part of the settlement, the company will stop producing and selling these products in the U.S. and globally in 2023. The company did not admit guilt in the settlement. The talcum powder lawsuit was joined by Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia.
发表 : 10 个月前 经过 Bayliss Wagner 在 Politics
Texas will receive $61.5 million as part of a $700 million nationwide settlement against Johnson & Johnson over baby powder safety claims, Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Tuesday.
The settlement resolves allegations from Paxton and 42 other attorneys general that the pharmaceutical industry giant intentionally misled customers about the safety and purity of baby powder and baby powder products containing talc. As part of the lawsuit settlement, Johnson & Johnson has also agreed to stop producing and selling these products in the U.S.
The company sold talc products for more than 100 years but ceased to do so in the U.S. and globally in 2023, after the coalition of 42 states and Washington, D.C., began its investigation. The coalition found that the company failed to disclose that the talc contained asbestos and that asbestos is harmful and can lead to cancer.
Johnson & Johnson baby powder is now largely made from corn starch rather than talc. The company did not admit guilt as part of the settlement.
Attorneys general for Texas, Florida and North Carolina led the multistate litigation, in which judicial approval of the settlement deal is still pending. The settlement was announced in January.
“We have reached a landmark settlement with Johnson & Johnson ensuring that the company will abide by the law and take effective steps to protect consumers from potentially hazardous ingredients,” Paxton said in a statement Tuesday afternoon. “I’m proud to lead this coalition of 43 attorneys general to stand up for consumers’ health and truth in marketing.”
The talcum powder lawsuit was joined by Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the 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 and Wisconsin.
"This is a major advancement for consumer product safety," Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody wrote in a statement Tuesday.
Johnson & Johnson still faces tens of thousands of individual lawsuits alleging that talc-containing products led consumers to develop ovarian cancer, mesothelioma and other severe health issues, according to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
A class action suit that accuses the company of having hidden the dangers of talc products from shareholders is also pending.
Johnson & Johnson has made several attempts to resolve the cases by placing a subsidiary that it created to contain its talc-related liabilities into bankruptcy, Reuters reported, with as much as $11 billion of company money earmarked for potential payments, but courts have not approved these efforts.
"The Company continues to pursue several paths to achieve a comprehensive and final resolution of the talc litigation," Erik Haas, Johnson & Johnson worldwide vice president of litigation, wrote in an email statement Tuesday. "We will continue to address the claims of those who do not want to participate in our contemplated consensual bankruptcy resolution through litigation or settlement.”
话题: Lawsuits