Record-Breaking $1.5 Billion Asbestos Verdict Against Johnson & Johnson
December 2025 was a tough month for Johnson & Johnson, which is dealing with about 67,000 plaintiffs claiming the company’s baby powder, contaminated with asbestos, caused their cancers, or those of deceased family members.
The company was just warming up with a $40 million California verdict earlier in the month, then a $65.5 million verdict against it in Minnesota on the 19th, when the following Monday, a Baltimore jury ruled the company should pay $1.5 billion to a plaintiff.
Satterley & Kelley, PLLC lawyers represent people diagnosed with mesothelioma and other cancers caused by their exposure to asbestos-containing talcum powders. Call us at 855-385-9532 to learn more.
Record-Breaking Jury Verdict Combines Compensatory and Punitive Damages
A Baltimore jury ordered Johnson & Johnson and two subsidiaries on December 22 to pay more than $1.5 billion to plaintiff Cherie Craft, who claims decades of asbestos exposure due to the company’s talc-based baby powder caused her peritoneal mesothelioma, an aggressive and fatal cancer. She was diagnosed in 2024, according to Reuters.
Circuit Court for Baltimore City jurors found the company, a subsidiary, and a spinoff entity created to handle its baby powder business liable for failing to warn her that its baby powder was contaminated with asbestos. This may be the largest-ever sum awarded against Johnson & Johnson for a single plaintiff. The company announced it will appeal the jury’s decision.
The damages award is as follows:
- $59.84 million in compensatory damages and $1 billion for punitive damages against Johnson & Johnson
- $500 million in punitive damages against Pecos River Talc, a subsidiary
Compensatory damages compensate plaintiffs for their losses. Punitive damages punish plaintiffs for their extreme behavior and are meant to deter similar conduct in the future.
Erik Haas, Johnson & Johnson’s worldwide vice president of litigation, blamed the decision on “junk science” and “gross errors” by the trial court. He stated the outcome is “squarely at odds” with most talc trials, which have gone in the company’s favor.
The company has put aside billions of dollars to pay for litigation and settlements as it contests claims in courts nationwide. Johnson & Johnson stopped selling talc-based baby powder in the US in 2020 and globally in 2023, when it switched to cornstarch-based alternatives.
Take Legal Action Now — Contact Satterley & Kelley, PLLC
If you have mesothelioma or another cancer that talcum powder may have caused, you and your family may receive compensation for the harm you suffer. Let us be your boots on the ground seeking maximum compensation for you and your family.
Call us at 855-385-9532, locally 502-589-5600, or contact us online to schedule a free initial consultation with a Satterley & Kelley PLLC attorney.