Maine is slated to receive nearly $5 million from a multistate settlement with Johnson & Johnson.
In a lawsuit, attorneys general from 42 states plus the District of Columbia alleged Johnson & Johnson had misled consumers and deceptively promoted the safety of products containing talcum powder. The company has since stopped manufacturing and selling baby powders and body powders containing talc.
Johnson & Johnson also faces tens of thousands of lawsuits filed by consumers who claimed their cancers or mesothelioma were caused by asbestos found in talc in the products. The company has said that its talcum powder products are safe and do not cause cancer.
The settlement with the state attorneys general is subject to court approval. Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey said Tuesday that Maine’s share of the $700 million national settlement is $4.8 million. Texas, North Carolina and Florida led the lawsuit.
Frey’s office said the money would go into the attorney general’s consumer protection fund.
This article appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.
