Johnson & Johnson says it will pay $5.5 billion to settle cases

JOHNSON and Johnson, whose Irish head office is located on Airton Road, stated that it would pay $5.5 billion to resolve lawsuits alleging its baby powder and talc products cause ovarian cancer.

The international company with its Irish base located in Tallaght has been involved in litigation for over a decade regarding the issue, with tens of thousands of lawsuits made against the company in relation to the claim about their talc products.

J&J noted that it has previously settled about 95 per cent of filed mesothelioma lawsuits, all State consumer protection claims, and all talc-supplier disputes.

The proposed resolution from the multinational pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical technologies corporation after a judge cast doubt last week on the ability of individual plaintiffs to prove that the company’s talc products caused their ovarian cancer.

Chris Seeger, who represents around 2,500 clients involved and helped negotiate the agreements, noted that the company could end up forking out upwards of $7bn, and described it as a fair settlement, per Reuters.

The first payment of no more than $3bn is to be made in 2027 and no additional payments will be due before 2028, according to the company.

Johnson and Johnson Worldwide Vice President of Litigation Erik Haas said that the claims “lack scientific merit” and that the company wished to settle to move forward and put the ordeal behind them, rejecting the claim that there is a link between their talc products and ovarian cancer.

Mr Haas said: “The court’s order placed plaintiffs in an untenable position of having to present specific causation evidence to maintain their claims that does not exist.

“While we are confident the company would have ultimately prevailed with further litigation, as it has in the vast majority of cases tried to date, this resolution allows the company to put this matter behind it and remain focused on its mission to develop medicines and devices that save lives.”

The proposed resolution requires the participation of lead plaintiff firms representing at least 95 per cent of the remaining claims.

J&J had previously filed three bankruptcies through a shell company subsidiary but all attempts were dismissed – these attempts put the litigation on hold for over three years before it was resumed in early 2025.

In 2020, the company had taken their talc-based baby powder off US shelves in favour of a cornstarch-based powder.