Supreme Court denies Johnson & Johnson appeal of $2B fine over talcum baby powder

The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to consider Johnson & Johnson's appeal of a 2018 verdict that awarded $2.1 billion to 22 plaintiffs who claimed the company's talcum baby powder caused ovarian cancer.

Why it matters: J&J still faces over 25,000 lawsuits claiming its baby powder causes cancer, after the 2018 suit awarded a total of $4.7 billion to the plaintiffs, per Bloomberg Law. The company removed talcum baby powder from shelves in the U.S. and Canada in 2020 and has denied the allegations.

• Johnson & Johnson had argued that the lower court proceedings in St. Louis violated the Constitution’s due process clause by combining claims from 22 plaintiffs from 12 different states.