California Judge Tosses $950M J&J Mesothelioma Damages

A California judge has vacated a nearly billion-dollar punitive damages award granted to the family of Mae Moore, who died from mesothelioma. The Los Angeles County Superior Court judge ruled on March 16, 2026, that the family did not provide sufficient evidence to prove Johnson & Johnson acted with malice or intentionally concealed information about its talc products. The jury had initially awarded $16 million in compensatory damages and $950 million in punitive damages.

Moore's family alleged that J&J's asbestos-containing baby powder caused her cancer. However, the judge noted that numerous tests indicated the talc products were asbestos-free. While the punitive damages were dismissed, the judge upheld the jury's finding that J&J's talc products were the cause of Moore's cancer. Johnson & Johnson stated it would appeal the causation ruling and the compensatory damages award.

This decision comes as J&J confronts a significant number of lawsuits, with over 67,000 plaintiffs claiming cancer resulted from using its talc-based products. Mesothelioma cases represent a subset of these claims, which J&J has attempted to resolve through bankruptcy filings, though these proposals have been rejected by federal courts.