<div id="readability-page-1"><div>By Nicholas G. Miller A Baltimore city jury ordered Johnson &amp; Johnson to pay over $1.5 billion in a lawsuit that alleged the company's talc-based personal products gave a Maryland woman cancer. The verdict is the largest ever returned against Johnson &amp; Johnson for a single plaintiff, according to lawyers of the Maryland woman, and is the latest in a string of legal judgments the company is facing over claims its talc products cause cancer. Johnson &amp; Johnson said it would appeal the verdict, which it called &#34;egregious and patently unconstitutional.&#34; The Maryland woman, Cherie Craft, claimed Johnson &amp; Johnson's baby powder exposed her to asbestos, leading to her diagnosis of mesothelioma in January 2024. The jury in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City on Monday awarded Craft $59.84 million in compensatory damages and assessed punitive damages of $1 billion against Johnson &amp; Johnson and $500 million against Pecos River Talc, a Johnson &amp; Johnson subsidiary. Craft's &#34;cancer was preventable,&#34; said Jessica Dean, a partner at Dean Omar Branham Shirley, which represented Craft. &#34;She used Johnson's Baby Powder every day of her life until she was diagnosed with cancer.&#34; Johnson &amp; Johnson has faced thousands of lawsuits linking its talc baby powder to cancer. The company has previously attempted to resolve the litigation through a bankruptcy settlement, but those efforts have been rebuffed by courts. Earlier this year a Los Angeles County jury hit Johnson &amp; Johnson with a $966 million judgment in a lawsuit claiming the company's baby powder gave a woman mesothelioma, which she died of in 2021. &#34;These lawsuits are predicated on 'junk science,' refuted by decades of studies, that demonstrate Johnson's Baby Powder is safe, does not contain asbestos and does not cause cancer,&#34; said Erik Haas, worldwide vice president of litigation for Johnson &amp; Johnson, in a statement. Write to Nicholas G. Miller at nicholas.miller@wsj.com. (END) Dow Jones Newswires12-23-25 0755ET</div></div>

A Baltimore jury ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay over $1.5 billion in a lawsuit alleging its talc products caused cancer. The verdict, the largest against J&J for a single plaintiff, includes $59.84 million in compensatory and $1.5 billion in punitive damages. J&J plans to appeal, calling the verdict unconstitutional. The case is part of ongoing litigation over claims linking J&J's talc products to cancer.

J&J Ordered to Pay Over $1.5 Billion in Talc Lawsuit