A California jury has delivered a stinging rebuke to healthcare titan Johnson & Johnson, ordering the company to pay $40 million (approx. KES 5.2 billion) to two women who blamed their ovarian cancer on its iconic baby powder.

The verdict, delivered on Friday in the Los Angeles Superior Court, reignites the global debate over the safety of talc-based products—a fixture in Kenyan nurseries and beauty regimens for decades—despite the company’s continued insistence that the science supports their safety.

The Cost of Silence

The jury found that Johnson & Johnson was aware for years that its talc-based products carried dangerous risks but failed to warn consumers. The financial penalty is substantial, broken down to reflect the suffering of two specific plaintiffs:

• Monica Kent: Awarded $18 million (approx. KES 2.3 billion). Diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2014.
• Deborah Schultz (and husband): Awarded $22 million (approx. KES 2.8 billion). Diagnosed in 2018.

Both women, residents of California, testified that they had used J&J’s baby powder as a daily hygiene staple for over 40 years. Their harrowing journey through the healthcare system involved major surgeries and dozens of rounds of chemotherapy, a physical and emotional toll the jury deemed compensable.

"Buried Truths" vs. "Aberrant Verdicts"

The courtroom battle painted two vastly different pictures of the corporate giant. Andy Birchfield, the attorney representing the women, argued that the company’s knowledge of the risks dates back to the independence era.

“Absolutely they knew,” Birchfield told the jury, in arguments viewed by the Courtroom View Network. “They knew and they were doing everything they could to hide it, to bury the truth about the dangers.”

Conversely, Johnson & Johnson remains defiant. Erik Haas, the company’s worldwide vice-president of litigation, characterized the decision as an outlier.

“We plan to immediately appeal this verdict and expect to prevail as we typically do with aberrant adverse verdicts,” Haas stated, signaling that the legal war is far from over.

Context for the Kenyan Consumer

For the Kenyan reader, this verdict hits close to home. Johnson & Johnson products command a significant share of the local baby care market. However, it is crucial to note a shift in the product's composition.

Following years of litigation and consumer pressure, J&J ceased the global sale of talc-based baby powder in 2023, transitioning to a cornstarch-based formula. While the products currently on supermarket shelves in Nairobi, Mombasa, and Kisumu are likely the newer cornstarch variant, this lawsuit addresses the legacy of the talc version that sat in bathroom cabinets for generations.

As the legal battles mount, the message from the courtroom is clear: corporate legacy offers no shield against consumer accountability.