J&J’s $966 Million Baby Powder Settlement Spotlights Racial Health Equity

A Los Angeles jury has ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $966 million to the family of Mae Moore, who died in 2021 from mesothelioma, a rare cancer linked to asbestos-contaminated talc exposure. This unprecedented agreement marks a significant moment in the intersections of public health and corporate accountability. For Black women, who were selected by J&J as “the right place” to sell more talc baby powder to, specifically targeting “under-developed geographical areas,” this is perhaps an opportunity for financial reciprocity along the path to racial health equity.

The Breakdown You Need To Know:

J&J, a household name with products in millions of homes, began selling its iconic Baby Powder in 1894. However, concerns about the safety of talc, the primary ingredient, surfaced as early as the 1950s. The first lawsuit linking J&J’s talc products to ovarian cancer was filed in 2009, marking the beginning of a lengthy legal battle.

The jury in Moore’s case concluded that asbestos-contaminated talc in J&J’s iconic Baby Powder caused her disease. The landmark verdict includes $16 million in compensatory damages and an unprecedented $950 million in punitive damages aimed at punishing the pharmaceutical giant.

Talc Texas Two-Step:

This verdict comes against the backdrop of J&J’s ongoing struggle to finalize a $6.475 billion settlement proposal designed to address approximately 99.75% of the ovarian cancer–related lawsuits filed by women who blame the company’s talc products for their illnesses.

J&J has tried repeatedly to use a controversial legal maneuver, nicknamed the “Texas two-step” to funnel its talc liabilities into a subsidiary, LTL Management, and then settle via bankruptcy proceedings, the University of Chicago Law School reported . However, AP News wrote in April 2025, a U.S. bankruptcy judge rejected J&J’s latest attempt, citing flaws in the way claimants were solicited and how votes were collected for the plan.

Health Equity & Accountability:

Racial and ethnic disparities in U.S. healthcare are rife, with Black women facing higher risks to their health from discrimination. Internal J&J documents revealed the company identified Black women in “under-developed geographical areas” as “the right place” to sell more Baby Powder. CultureBanx reported the company’s marketing strategy built distribution networks through churches, beauty salons, and community organizations, reinforcing product loyalty in communities already burdened by health disparities.

In the 1990s and early 2000s, J&J spent $300,000 on targeted radio advertising in six U.S. markets explicitly designed to reach “curvy Southern women aged 18–49 skewing African American,” according to reporting by The New York Times. Investigations revealed that J&J knew for decades that its talc products sometimes contained asbestos but continued marketing them as safe, particularly in minority communities.

Over the years, numerous studies have indicated a link between talcum powder and cancer. The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer classified talc containing asbestos as carcinogenic and suggested that genital use of talc powders could be possibly carcinogenic. Research from the National Institute of Health found talc particles in a significant percentage of ovarian tumors and established a 33% increased risk of ovarian cancer with long-term use of talc-based products.

Financial Investor Implications:

The Moore verdict is a stark reminder to investors that J&J’s talc liabilities remain a live financial risk despite the company’s broader pivot toward pharmaceuticals and medical technology. J&J recorded a $2.7 billion charge last year to boost its talc-related reserves to $11 billion, underscoring the scale of exposure.

The punitive damages awarded in Moore’s case alone approach 15% of that reserve, raising concerns that additional mesothelioma verdicts could rapidly erode the company’s financial defenses. For J&J shareholders, the talc litigation serves as a cautionary tale about legacy product risks, corporate governance, and reputational exposure.

What’s Next:

For many Black women and their families, verdicts like Moore’s represent not just compensation but also acknowledgment of historic harm, a recognition that corporate profit often came at the expense of their health. The company, which maintains that its talc products are safe and asbestos-free, has vowed to appeal, calling the award “egregious and unconstitutional,” according to Reuters. Yet the Moore case underscores that, even as J&J attempts to resolve tens of thousands of claims through mass settlements, individual juries remain willing to issue billion-dollar punishments for the harm caused by decades of product use.