$65.5 Million Verdict for Minnesota Mother With Mesothelioma From J&J Baby Powder

Anna Jean Houghton Carley was 37 years old and the mother of three children when she received a diagnosis of peritoneal mesothelioma in 2025. The disease, an aggressive cancer of the abdominal lining, is closely associated with asbestos exposure. Her family had used Johnson and Johnson Baby Powder on her throughout her childhood, a product J&J pulled from U.S. shelves in 2020 after years of litigation over asbestos contamination.

Carley filed suit in Ramsey County District Court in St. Paul, arguing that Johnson and Johnson knew its talc-based products could be contaminated with asbestos and continued to sell and market them anyway. After 13 days of testimony, a six-person jury deliberated for five hours before returning its verdict on December 19, 2025.

The jury awarded $5.5 million for past medical and personal damages, $32.5 million for future medical and personal damages, and $27.5 million to her husband for loss of companionship. The total of $65.5 million was entirely compensatory. The jury found the baby powder defective and unreasonably dangerous.

Chad Alexander of Sieben Alexander, P.A. served as co-counsel on the trial team alongside lead trial counsel Ben Braly and attorneys Aaron Chapman, Laurel Halbany, and Daniel Liberio of Dean Omar Branham Shirley. The plaintiff's legal team characterized the verdict as 'the largest asbestos-related verdict in the history of the state of Minnesota.'

Johnson and Johnson announced it would appeal the decision. As of the verdict date, no reduction had been entered by the court.