A jury in the Circuit Court of Baltimore City has ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $1.56 billion to a Maryland woman who alleged that long-term use of the company’s baby powder caused her cancer, marking the largest single-plaintiff talc award against the company. Jurors found J&J liable for failing to warn Cherie Craft that its talc-based baby powder contained asbestos, which has been associated with cancer. Craft was diagnosed with malignant peritoneal mesothelioma in January 2024. The verdict includes $59.8 million in compensatory damages and $1.5 billion in punitive damages against J&J and its subsidiary, Pecos River Talc. The award exceeds a prior record of $966 million set by a California jury in October.
Johnson & Johnson said it will appeal the decision. Erik Haas, the company’s Legal Chief, called the verdict “egregious and patently unconstitutional,” adding that it conflicts with outcomes in most talc trials and relies on “junk science” that decades of studies have refuted. The ruling follows other recent losses, including a $65.5 million verdict in Minnesota and a $40 million award in California. J&J faces more than 67,000 talc-related lawsuits nationwide and has said it will litigate the cases after abandoning bankruptcy efforts. Plaintiff attorney Jessica Dean said, “Her cancer was preventable. She used Johnson’s Baby Powder every day of her life until she was diagnosed with cancer.”
