Page Updated December 15, 2025

$40 Million Verdict in Bellwether Johnson & Johnson Trial Praised by Mesothelioma Victims

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Mesothelioma Attorney Paul Danziger

A combined $40 million jury verdict has been awarded to ovarian cancer victims Monica Kent and Deborah Schultz, whose claims of asbestos in Johnson & Johnson’s talc-based products echoed those of many mesothelioma victims. The lawsuit centered on the two women is viewed as a bellwether case for thousands of others scheduled to be heard in California and around the country.

Verdict Against J&J Follows Thousands of Mesothelioma and Ovarian Cancer Claims

Over the last several years, mesothelioma lawsuits citing asbestos in Johnson & Johnson’s talc products have moved forward while thousands of ovarian cancer claims have been delayed by the company’s multiple bankruptcy filings. After a third rejection of Johnson & Johnson’s controversial Texas Two-Step strategy, the consolidated claim filed by 52-year-old Monica Kent and 64-year-old Deborah Schultz was the first of three bellwether cases gauging the probable outcomes of thousands of similar claims that are pending.

Kent and Schultz are both California residents who used J&J’s baby powder and other talc products daily for 40 years. After four weeks of testimony, it took the Los Angeles Superior Court jury just one day to award $18 million to Kent and $22 million to Schultz and her husband in non-economic damages. The jury rejected claims that the company had acted maliciously but agreed that it had been negligent, failed to warn of its products’ dangers, and made false and misleading representations about safety.

Testimony Indicates That Johnson & Johnson Knew of Mesothelioma and Ovarian Cancer Risk

As in previously heard mesothelioma cases, the jury in the ovarian cancer trial was shown Johnson & Johnson’s internal corporate documents and heard testimony that the company had known its talc was contaminated with asbestos as early as the 1970s. Among those testifying was former FDA Commissioner David Kessler.

Mesothelioma and ovarian cancer claims against Johnson & Johnson have been filed by more than 67,000 plaintiffs in the United States, with another 3,000 pending in the United Kingdom. This case is the first to go to trial since J&J’s third bankruptcy attempt was dismissed. The company has repeatedly argued that its products are safe, don’t contain asbestos, and don’t cause cancer, though it stopped selling talc-based powder and switched to cornstarch in the U.S. in 2020 after lawsuits began to be filed.

J&J Attempts to Avoid Mesothelioma and Ovarian Cancer Liability Through Bankruptcy

Johnson & Johnson has spent the last several years attempting to avoid mesothelioma and ovarian cancer litigation through a controversial bankruptcy strategy known as a Texas Two-Step. The maneuver, which delayed ovarian cancer claims being heard for years, involved J&J setting up a subsidiary, allocating its asbestos liability to that company, then having it file for bankruptcy. Three attempts failed because J&J’s financial holdings disallowed bankruptcy qualification. At the same time, mesothelioma claims continued to be heard. In October, a California jury awarded $966 million to the family of Mae Moore, who died from the rare form of cancer at the age of 88. The company is now facing several more trials in the first half of 2026.