Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton played a leading role in a multistate legal action against Johnson & Johnson that resulted in a $700 million settlement over allegations involving the marketing of the company’s talc-based baby powder and body powder products.
The agreement, announced in June 2024, involved Paxton and attorneys general from 42 other states, making it one of the largest multistate consumer-protection settlements involving Johnson & Johnson’s talc products.
Texas was among the states that led the coalition, alongside Florida and North Carolina. Under the agreement, Texas was set to receive approximately $61.6 million.
A 43-State Coalition
The case centered on allegations that Johnson & Johnson had deceptively promoted certain talc-based products and misled consumers about their safety and purity.
Texas, Florida and North Carolina led the executive committee overseeing the multistate effort, with dozens of other states and the District of Columbia joining the investigation and settlement.
Paxton’s office described the agreement as a major consumer-protection action involving one of the world’s largest healthcare companies.
“We have reached a landmark settlement with Johnson & Johnson,” Paxton said at the time, adding that the agreement was intended to ensure the company complied with the law and took steps to protect consumers.
Johnson & Johnson Agreed to Stop Selling Talc-Based Powder Products
One of the most significant provisions of the agreement required Johnson & Johnson to permanently stop manufacturing, marketing, promoting, selling and distributing covered talc-containing baby and body powder products in the United States.
The agreement specifically covered products such as Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower containing talcum powder.
However, the company had already taken major steps away from talc-based powder products before the settlement. Johnson & Johnson stopped selling talc-based baby powder in the United States and Canada in 2020 and later discontinued talc-based baby powder globally.
What the Settlement Was About
The multistate case focused on consumer-protection and marketing allegations, rather than resolving all of the separate personal-injury litigation involving Johnson & Johnson’s talc products.
State attorneys general alleged that the company had misled consumers regarding the safety of its talc-based products.
Johnson & Johnson did not admit wrongdoing as part of the settlement. The company has consistently maintained that its talc products were safe and did not cause cancer.
The settlement therefore resolved the states’ consumer-protection investigation while leaving separate personal-injury cases outside the agreement.
Texas Was Set to Receive $61.6 Million
Under the 2024 agreement, Texas was allocated $61,576,401.23.
The money was part of the nationwide $700 million settlement reached by the participating states.
The settlement was subject to judicial approval when announced.
For Texas, the agreement represented a substantial recovery tied to the state’s consumer-protection claims against Johnson & Johnson.
Paxton’s Role in the Multistate Case
Paxton’s office described him as one of the leaders of the 43-attorney-general coalition.
Texas worked with Florida and North Carolina to lead the executive committee, while attorneys general from states across the country participated in the broader settlement.
The coalition included states such as California, New York, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Washington and Virginia, among many others.
The case illustrates how state attorneys general can combine their resources to investigate companies operating nationwide.
The Settlement Did Not End All Talc Litigation
An important distinction is that the $700 million settlement did not resolve every lawsuit involving Johnson & Johnson’s talc products.
The company continued to face thousands of private lawsuits alleging that talc products contributed to illnesses including ovarian cancer and mesothelioma.
Johnson & Johnson has continued to dispute those allegations.
In 2026, the company announced another proposed resolution involving remaining ovarian talc litigation, demonstrating that the broader legal controversy continued well beyond the 2024 multistate settlement.
Why the Case Remains Significant
The 2024 agreement demonstrates the scale of multistate enforcement when multiple state attorneys general coordinate an investigation.
For Texas, the settlement resulted in a reported $61.6 million allocation, while the broader agreement required Johnson & Johnson to permanently stop the manufacture, marketing and sale of covered talc-containing powder products in the United States.
The case also highlights the distinction between government consumer-protection actions and private personal-injury litigation. The multistate settlement addressed allegations about marketing practices, while separate lawsuits continued to address claims involving alleged health effects.
A Major Chapter in Johnson & Johnson’s Talc Controversy
The $700 million agreement became an important milestone in the long-running legal dispute surrounding Johnson & Johnson’s talc products.
For Paxton and the other participating attorneys general, the case represented a coordinated effort to pursue consumer-protection claims against a major multinational company.
While Johnson & Johnson did not admit wrongdoing and continued to defend the safety of its talc products, the settlement permanently restricted the company’s ability to manufacture and sell covered talc-based powder products in the United States.
The case remains part of a much larger legal history surrounding Johnson & Johnson’s talc business, with additional litigation and settlement efforts continuing after the 2024 multistate agreement.