Johnson & Johnson to pay Kansas $11 million after allegations of asbestos in baby powder.

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TOPEKA (KSNT) - The multinational pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson has reached a $700 million settlement with multiple state attorneys general Tuesday with Kansas set to receive a piece of the payout.

Attorney General for the District of Columbia Brian Schwalb made the announcement in a press release on June 11. More than 40 state attorneys general reached the settlement with Johnson & Johnson, resolving allegations of deceptive marketing practices for baby powder and body powder containing talc.

“District residents and customers nationwide deserve the truth about products they’re purchasing, especially products geared towards children,” Schwalb said. “With this bipartisan, multistate settlement, we’re holding Johnson & Johnson financially accountable for decades of harm inflicted on consumers through deceptive marketing tactics, and we’re ensuring that products that have been linked to serious health problems are no longer on the market.”

Johnson & Johnson is required to stop the manufacture and sale of its baby powder and body powder products containing talc as part of the lawsuit, according to the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia. These products were sold by the company for more than a century with domestic and global sales ceasing after the coalition of state attorneys general began an investigation into them.

The investigation found the presence of asbestos in the talc, according to the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia. It also found the company failed to disclose that asbestos in the talc is harmful as it can lead to cancer. Other lawsuits have been filed against Johnson & Johnson in class actions over allegations that talc leads to serious health complications such as mesothelioma and ovarian cancer.

The state of Kansas will receive part of the $700 million settlement in four separate payments on July 30 each year from 2024-2027. In total, Johnson & Johnson will pay the Sunflower State around $11.4 million, according to court documents.

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