Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador and 42 other attorneys general agreed to a $700 million deal to resolve charges over Johnson & Johnson’s marketing of talc-containing baby and body powder products.
“We have reached a landmark settlement with Johnson & Johnson ensuring the company will take effective steps to protect consumers from potentially hazardous ingredients,” stated Attorney General Labrador. “Standing up for Idaho consumers is a top priority for my office, and I’m proud of the attorneys in our Consumer Protection Division who worked hard to see this matter handled effectively.
“The consent judgment issued in this case addresses charges that Johnson & Johnson deceptively marketed and deceived customers in advertisements about the safety of its talc powder products. As part of the settlement, Johnson & Johnson has agreed to cease manufacturing and selling talc-containing products in the United States.
Johnson & Johnson sold such products for almost a century. After the coalition of states began investigating, the corporation ceased distributing and selling these items in the United States, and more subsequently, global sales. While this lawsuit focused on the misleading marketing of these goods, multiple other lawsuits brought by private plaintiffs in class actions claimed that talc causes major health conditions such as mesothelioma and ovarian cancer.
As part of the settlement, Idaho will receive $5,765,502 from the Consumer Protection Fund. This settlement is seeking judicial approval.
The Idaho Attorney General’s Office has secured its seventh substantial settlement since 2023. These settlements include direct-to-Idaho payments of a $74 million settlement with the tobacco industry, a $2 million settlement with Tempoe LLC, an advertising leasing company, a $1.6 million settlement with Publicis Health for opioid marketing, a $76 million settlement with Walgreens and others for opioid distribution, a $892,000 settlement with TurboTax (direct to Idaho consumers), and a $920,000 settlement with Indivior, the manufacturer of Suboxone.
