Northern California jury assigns J&J 40% responsibility, finding company failed to warn consumers about asbestos contamination in talc products

OAKLAND, Calif., Nov. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A Northern California jury has awarded $34.21 million to a California man who developed mesothelioma after decades of using talcum powder products, including Johnson's Baby Powder, finding Johnson & Johnson liable for failing to warn consumers about asbestos contamination.

Following two days of deliberations, jurors assigned 40% of the responsibility to Johnson & Johnson and 60% to Merck & Co. Inc.'s Dr. Scholl's, which settled before trial.

Over eight weeks of trial, attorneys with Dallas-based Iola, Gross & Forbes-King presented evidence that asbestos-contaminated talcum powder products caused plaintiff Kevin Reikes' mesothelioma. Reikes, a Sacramento-area political and business communications executive, testified that he regularly used talcum powder products, including Johnson's Baby Powder, beginning in the 1970s.

The jury found that:

• Johnson's Baby Powder was defective.
• Johnson & Johnson was negligent in failing to warn consumers about asbestos contamination that was known or knowable at the time of sale.
• The failure to warn was a substantial factor in causing Reikes' mesothelioma.

IGFK attorneys Sam Iola and Shawna Forbes-King presented evidence that Johnson & Johnson took steps over several decades to protect the Johnson's Baby Powder brand despite growing concerns about asbestos contamination in talc. The company knew as early as 1960 that asbestos exposure causes mesothelioma and that talc could be contaminated with asbestos. Although J&J maintained testing protocols, evidence showed that it designed tests unlikely to identify contamination and failed to report positive findings to the FDA. Witnesses also testified that the company funded and sought to influence medical research on talc contamination while lobbying against regulation of talc products.

"Johnson & Johnson knew about the dangers of asbestos and the potential for contamination in its talc products, yet it continued selling those products without warning consumers," said Mr. Iola. "The evidence presented at trial showed that protecting the Johnson's Baby Powder brand took priority over the safety of the people who used it."

Reikes was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive cancer caused by asbestos exposure, in June 2025. He began chemotherapy within a month and has since undergone abdominal and chest surgeries in efforts to treat the disease and stop its spread.

"This verdict is about the devastating consequences for Kevin and his family of a company's failure to warn consumers about a known danger," said Ms. Forbes-King. "They are now facing the physical, emotional and financial toll of a disease that could have been prevented if Johnson & Johnson had been honest about the risks associated with its products."

The case is Kevin M. Reikes et al. v. Block Drug Company et al., No. 25CV157993, in Superior Court of California, Alameda County.

The verdict adds to a series of significant trial results for Iola, Gross & Forbes-King, a law firm focused on representing individuals and families harmed by talc and asbestos exposure. Visit www.iolagross.com.

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SOURCE Iola Gross & Forbes-King