A Broward County jury has ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $20 million to the family of Dr. Alberto A. Casaretto Sr., a South Florida nephrologist who died from mesothelioma in December 2022 after approximately 50 years of daily use of the company’s talc-based body powders. The trial, which lasted more than a month in Fort Lauderdale, is one of dozens reaching verdict as litigation against J&J accelerates.
The Plaintiff
Dr. Casaretto was a practicing nephrologist in South Florida who used Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower products daily from the 1950s through the 2000s. His approximately 50 years of daily use represents one of the most clearly documented exposure histories in talc litigation.
His family, represented by trial attorneys at Kelley | Uustal and Levin Papantonio, filed a wrongful death lawsuit alleging that J&J knew its talc could contain asbestos, selected testing protocols unlikely to detect the contamination, and chose not to replace talc with safer alternatives such as cornstarch.
Internal Documents Reveal Decades of Knowledge
What distinguishes these cases is not just the size of awards but the evidence juries are hearing. Internal company documents show that J&J detected asbestos in its talc samples as far back as the early 1970s, with one test recording contamination levels described as “rather high.” Despite this knowledge, the company failed to warn the FDA or consumers, continued selling the products, and developed testing protocols designed to minimize the likelihood of detecting contamination.
Evidence presented in a 2023 Oakland case that resulted in a $26.5 million verdict showed J&J knew decades before people were harmed that their Johnson’s Baby Powder contained carcinogenic asbestos. The company had a known safer alternative, cornstarch, available but chose to continue marketing talc. J&J did not discontinue talc-based baby powder until 2023.
Talc and asbestos are minerals that form in similar geological conditions and are often found in the same deposits. When talc is mined from deposits near asbestos veins, the resulting product can contain asbestos fibers. Multiple testing methods have detected asbestos in J&J talc samples dating back to the 1970s.
A Pattern of Mounting Verdicts
Casaretto’s case fits a pattern of accelerating verdicts against J&J. In December 2025, a Baltimore jury awarded $1.56 billion to a person with mesothelioma, the largest single talc verdict on record. A Los Angeles jury awarded $40 million to two women with ovarian cancer from decades of talc use. Over 2025, J&J faced more than $2.5 billion in total verdicts, up from $320 million the year prior.
As of January 2026, over 67,000 talc lawsuits remain pending against J&J, though the company reports settling approximately 95% of mesothelioma claims filed. After three failed attempts to move asbestos liabilities to a subsidiary through bankruptcy, J&J now faces an accelerating trial calendar with juries increasingly skeptical of its safety claims.
J&J’s Failed Bankruptcy Strategy
Johnson & Johnson created a subsidiary called LTL Management in 2021, transferring its talc liabilities to the new entity, which immediately filed for bankruptcy. Federal courts rejected this “Texas Two-Step” strategy twice, finding it was not filed in good faith. A third attempt was abandoned in 2025 after J&J failed to secure the required supermajority of claimant votes. With the bankruptcy path closed, the company faces trials in multiple jurisdictions through 2026.
What was the Casaretto v. Johnson & Johnson verdict?▼
A Broward County, Florida jury awarded $20 million to the family of Dr. Alberto A. Casaretto Sr., a nephrologist who died from mesothelioma after approximately 50 years of daily use of J&J’s talc-based Baby Powder and Shower to Shower products. The trial lasted more than a month and concluded in October 2025.
How many lawsuits are pending against J&J over talc?▼
As of January 2026, more than 67,000 talc-related lawsuits remain pending against Johnson & Johnson in federal and state courts. The company has settled approximately 95% of mesothelioma-specific claims but faces a growing number of ovarian cancer cases heading to trial through 2026.
What did internal documents reveal about J&J's knowledge?▼
Internal company documents presented in multiple trials show that J&J detected asbestos in its talc samples as early as the 1970s. Despite this knowledge, the company did not warn consumers or the FDA, continued selling the products, and adopted testing methods unlikely to detect contamination.
What happened to J&J's bankruptcy strategy?▼
J&J created a subsidiary called LTL Management in 2021 and transferred its talc liabilities to it, which filed for bankruptcy. Federal courts rejected the strategy twice, finding it was not made in good faith. A third attempt was abandoned in 2025 after failing to secure enough claimant votes.