Sat Dec 13 03:03:51 UTC 2025: Here’s a summary of the text:
Two women, Monica Kent and Deborah Schultz, have been awarded $40 million by a California jury after claiming Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J) baby powder caused their ovarian cancer. The jury found that J&J knew about the dangers of its talc-based products but failed to warn consumers. J&J plans to appeal the verdict, maintaining its products are safe. This is one of many lawsuits J&J faces, with over 67,000 plaintiffs alleging cancer diagnoses linked to its talc products. J&J has discontinued talc-based baby powder in the U.S. and attempted to resolve the litigation through bankruptcy, but these attempts have been unsuccessful.
Here’s the rewrite as a news article:
California Jury Awards $40 Million in J&J Baby Powder Cancer Case
Los Angeles, CA – December 13, 2025: A California jury has awarded $40 million to two women who claim Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J) baby powder caused their ovarian cancer. The verdict, reached Friday, December 12, 2025, saw Monica Kent awarded $18 million and Deborah Schultz and her husband receiving $22 million in Los Angeles Superior Court.
The plaintiffs, both California residents, testified they used J&J’s talc-based baby powder for 40 years after bathing. They were diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2014 and 2018, respectively, and underwent extensive treatments including surgeries and chemotherapy.
Attorneys for the women argued that J&J was aware of the potential cancer risks associated with its talc products as far back as the 1960s but concealed the information. J&J’s legal team countered that the link between talc and ovarian cancer is not supported by major U.S. health authorities or definitive studies.
“We plan to immediately appeal this verdict and expect to prevail as we typically do with aberrant adverse verdicts,” said Erik Haas, Johnson & Johnson’s worldwide vice president of litigation, in a statement.
This case is one of over 67,000 lawsuits J&J is facing from plaintiffs alleging cancer diagnoses linked to its talc-based products. While J&J maintains its products are safe and do not contain asbestos or cause cancer, the company ceased selling talc-based baby powder in the U.S. in 2020, switching to a cornstarch alternative.
J&J has previously attempted to resolve the litigation through bankruptcy, but these efforts have been rejected by federal courts. This trial marks the first since the latest bankruptcy attempt was dismissed in April.
Prior to the bankruptcy attempts, J&J’s record in talc-related trials was mixed, with some verdicts favoring the company and others resulting in significant awards to plaintiffs, some as high as $4.69 billion. The majority of lawsuits involve ovarian cancer claims, with a smaller portion alleging talc caused mesothelioma. The company has also faced substantial verdicts in mesothelioma cases, including one for over $900 million in October.
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