Minnesota jury awards $65.5M in J&J talc cancer case
A Ramsey County, Minnesota jury on Dec. 19, 2025 awarded $65.5 million to 37‑year‑old Anna Jean Houghton Carley, finding Johnson & Johnson liable after she developed mesothelioma she says was caused by childhood use of the company’s talc-based baby powder allegedly contaminated with asbestos. Johnson & Johnson, which has already pulled talc baby powder from U.S. shelves (2020) and worldwide (2023), denies its products contain asbestos or cause cancer and says it will appeal the verdict, one of several recent large jury awards in talc litigation nationwide.
📌 Key Facts
- A Minnesota jury awarded $65.5 million to plaintiff Anna Jean Houghton Carley, 37, in a talc-related mesothelioma case against Johnson & Johnson.
- Carley testified she used Johnson & Johnson baby powder throughout her childhood; her lawyers argued J&J knew talc can be contaminated with asbestos but failed to warn consumers.
- Johnson & Johnson’s litigation chief Erik Haas called the verdict based on 'junk science,' insisted the powder is safe, and said the company will appeal.
- J&J stopped selling talc-based baby powder in the U.S. in 2020 and ended talc sales worldwide in 2023.
- The case follows other 2025 verdicts, including a $40 million Los Angeles award to two women with ovarian cancer and a $966 million California mesothelioma judgment against J&J.
📊 Relevant Data
Mesothelioma incidence rates are significantly higher in men than in women, with men accounting for approximately 70% of new cases in the United States in 2021.
Mesothelioma Statistics: Incidence, Key Facts & Trends — Asbestos.com
White individuals have higher age-adjusted mortality rates from mesothelioma (14 per million) compared to Hispanics (7.0 per million) and Black or African Americans (5.7 per million), based on data from 2000-2020.
Stratified analysis of mesothelioma mortality: A 21-year atlas of disparities in the United States — ASCO Publications
Annual mesothelioma deaths among women in the United States increased from 489 in 1999 to 614 in 2020, potentially linked to non-occupational exposures such as cosmetic talc.
Malignant Mesothelioma Mortality in Women — United States, 1999–2020 — CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
Black women with ovarian cancer (linked to talc exposure) are more likely to be diagnosed at Stage IV (46.4%) compared to Hispanic (40.3%) and White women (37.1%), contributing to survival disparities.
US study shows racial disparities in ovarian cancer care — Clinical Trials Arena
Talc-related mesothelioma cases have increased by 100% since 2021, from 318 to 673 cases, though they represent a small proportion of the approximately 3,000 annual mesothelioma diagnoses in the United States.
How Much Asbestos Exposure Causes Mesothelioma? 2025 Guide — Scalli Murphy Law