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Talc Litigation Statistics

Shareable data visualizations on Johnson & Johnson talc lawsuits, verdicts, and timeline. Free to embed with attribution.

At a Glance

Key statistics from talc litigation as of January 2026

90,000+ Total lawsuits filed against Johnson & Johnson Source: Federal MDL Court Records, 2026 $10B+ In verdicts awarded since 2016 Source: Court Records, 2026 50+ years Of documented risk 1957 to present Source: Reuters Investigation

Major Verdicts

Largest jury awards in talc litigation ($ millions)

Largest Talc Verdicts (in millions) Record-breaking jury awards against Johnson & Johnson Craft (Dec 2025) 1,560M Moore Estate (Oct 2025) 966M 22 Women St. Louis (2018) 4,690M 4 NJ Plaintiffs (2020) 750M Carley (Dec 2025) 65.5M Kent & Schultz (Dec 2025) 40M Source: Court Records

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50+ Years of Knowledge

Timeline from first asbestos detection to global product discontinuation

Talc Litigation Timeline From First Asbestos Detection to $1.56 Billion Verdict 1957 First Asbestos Found Tremolite asbestos detected in J&J talc 1971 Cancer Link Published First talc-ovarian cancer study 1976 FDA Lobbying J&J blocks proposed asbestos limits 2006 First Lawsuit Talc litigation begins 2016 $72M Verdict First major plaintiff win 2018 $4.69B Verdict 22 women in St. Louis 2019 FDA Finds Asbestos 33,000 bottle recall 2020 US Discontinuation J&J stops US talc sales 2024 IARC Classification "Probably carcinogenic" 2025 $1.56B Verdict Largest individual award Source: Reuters Investigation, Court Records

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Claim Breakdown

Distribution of talc lawsuits by cancer type

Claims by Cancer Type Ovarian cancer vs mesothelioma claims Ovarian Cancer: 85% Mesothelioma: 15% 100 total Ovarian Cancer 85% (85) Mesothelioma 15% (15) Source: MDL Court Filings
Mesothelioma Exposure Source % with talc as only known asbestos exposure Talc-only exposure: 74% Mixed asbestos sources: 27% 100 total Talc-only exposure 74% (73.5) Mixed asbestos sources 27% (26.5) Source: J Occup Med Toxicol, 2023

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Press Contact

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Data Sources

  • Verdict Data: Federal and state court records, Reuters Legal
  • Timeline Events: Reuters Investigation (2018), court documents, FDA records
  • Study Data: Finkelstein et al., Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology (2023)
  • Lawsuit Counts: JPML MDL 2738 docket, updated January 2026