BALTIMORE — A Baltimore City jury has awarded a woman $1.5 billion stemming from a lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson.
Cherie Craft sued the company and its subsidiaries alleging their talc-based baby powder exposed her to asbestos, causing peritoneal malignant mesothelioma, an incurable cancer.
Craft was diagnosed with the disease in January of 2024.
“Cherie Craft runs a non-profit where she pours her life into helping others. Her cancer was preventable. She used Johnson’s Baby Powder every day of her life until she was diagnosed with cancer," said attorney, Jessica Dean, a partner at the law firm Dean Omar Branham Shirley. "[They] refused to accept any responsibility and fought at every turn. We are grateful for the dedication of the jury and court and that [Johnson] was held accountable.”
Johnson & Johnson called the ruling "egregious and patently unconstitutional," vowing to appeal.
The company also accused the court of "gross errors," which they say allowed Craft's attorneys to "pervade the record with improper and prejudicial statements and assertions."
This case is just one of about 60,000 claims Johnson & Johnson has faced based on allegations related to the powder.
A jury in Los Angeles, California recently awarded a family $966 million, while a Minnesota mother won a $65.5 million.
This past April, Johnson & Johnson sought to end all existing and future powder based lawsuits, but was rejected by a U.S. bankruptcy judge.
Back in June 2024 — 42 states, including Maryland, settled a $700 million lawsuit requiring Johnson & Johnson to stop making, marketing, promoting, selling or distributing any talc-based powders.
Johnson & Johnson says the lawsuits are predicated on “junk science, refuted by decades of studies, that demonstrate [the] powder is safe, does not contain asbestos, and does not cause cancer."
