强生拟支付55亿美元和解滑石粉致癌诉讼Johnson & Johnson Agrees to $5.5 Billion Talc Settlement

强生公司于周一正式宣布，计划支付约55亿美元的和解金，以解决数万起指控其婴儿爽身粉及其他滑石粉产品导致卵巢癌的诉讼。这一拟议中的巨额和解方案，旨在为这家总部位于新泽西州的制药巨头解决多年来一直承受的法律诉讼压力。原告代理律师事务所于周一确认了该协议，并表示在经历了长达十年的法庭斗争之后，这是一个良好的解决方案。该协议有望为这起持续十年的争议性法律诉讼画上句号。

Johnson & Johnson announced on Monday its proposal to pay an estimated $5.5 billion to resolve tens of thousands of lawsuits alleging that its baby powder and other talcum powder products caused ovarian cancer. This landmark settlement proposal aims to end a long-standing legal battle that has heavily weighed on the New Jersey-based pharmaceutical giant for years. Plaintiffs' law firms confirmed the agreement on Monday, describing it as a favorable resolution following a grueling ten-year court battle. The deal represents a major step toward concluding one of the most contentious and prolonged product liability disputes in recent corporate history.

此次提出的55亿美元和解方案是强生公司为了结诉讼而做出的最新努力。这些诉讼长期以来一直困扰着该公司的日常运营并影响其企业形象。尽管强生公司此前已经通过和解方式解决了大部分涉及石棉和间皮瘤的滑石粉索赔案件，但针对其产品导致卵巢癌的指控依然层出不穷。如果该和解协议能够顺利通过，强生公司将得以解决这些悬而未决的法律纠纷，从而实现业务层面的轻装上阵。

The proposed $5.5 billion payout is J&J's latest attempt to address the massive volume of litigation that has clouded its operations. While the multinational corporation had previously settled most of the lawsuits alleging that its talc products contained asbestos and caused mesothelioma, the ovarian cancer claims remained a significant unresolved legal threat. By offering this multi-billion dollar settlement, the company seeks to resolve the vast majority of its remaining talc-related liabilities and achieve final closure on the matter.

根据强生公司及相关报道披露的信息，该和解协议涵盖了约76,000起索赔。在具体地域分布上，部分报道指出该协议涉及约69,000起美国诉讼，这一数字占到了美国所有未决滑石粉相关诉讼的99.75%。这些案件中既包括在新泽西州联邦法院进行合并审理的诉讼，也包括在各州法院提起的相关案件。该协议几乎代表了强生公司目前面临的所有剩余滑石粉索赔诉讼。

According to disclosures from Johnson & Johnson and related reports, the proposed settlement covers approximately 76,000 claims. Specifically, some reports indicate that the agreement addresses about 69,000 cases in US federal and state courts, which accounts for 99.75 percent of the outstanding talc-related lawsuits in the country. These cases encompass those consolidated in a federal court in New Jersey as well as related lawsuits pending in various state courts, representing nearly all of the remaining talc claims against the multinational corporation.

然而，这项金额达55亿美元的和解方案并非自动生效。强生公司在声明中明确指出，该协议的最终达成具有严格的先决条件，其中最核心的要求是必须获得至少95%的州法院或联邦法院剩余卵巢癌索赔人的明确参与和同意。只有在达到这一高比例的同意门槛后，该和解协议才能最终生效并具有法律约束力，从而终结这些索赔人与强生公司之间的法律纠纷。

However, the multi-billion dollar agreement is not yet final. J&J stated that the settlement is highly conditional, requiring the express participation and acceptance of at least 95 percent of the remaining ovarian cancer claimants in state or federal courts. This high approval threshold must be met before the deal can become final and legally binding, serving as a critical mechanism for the company to ensure a comprehensive resolution and prevent future litigation on these specific claims.

尽管强生公司提出了巨额和解方案，但该公司在诉讼中始终坚决否认其滑石粉产品与癌症之间存在任何因果关系。强生公司诉讼副总裁埃里克·哈斯（Erik Haas）在声明中明确指出，这些指控完全“缺乏科学依据”，并且是“毫无根据”的。哈斯强调，强生公司同意支付这笔和解金并不是因为承认产品存在缺陷，而是为了彻底结束这些旷日持久的法律纠纷，从而使公司能够达成结案并摆脱诉讼负担。

Despite proposing the multi-billion dollar settlement, Johnson & Johnson has consistently maintained its denial of any causal link between its talc products and cancer. The company's vice president of litigation, Erik Haas, stated that the allegations are "meritless" and "lack scientific merit." Haas emphasized that J&J's decision to agree to the financial payout does not constitute an admission of wrongdoing or product defect. Instead, the multinational corporation is willing to settle the outstanding claims solely to achieve final closure and resolve the long-standing legal disputes.

在面临长期诉讼压力的同时，强生公司也逐步调整了其产品线。该公司已于2020年正式停止在美国和加拿大销售其以滑石粉为原料的婴儿爽身粉产品。尽管强生公司坚称其滑石粉产品的安全性，但这一停售举措在当时被视为应对公众担忧和法律诉讼风险的重要步骤，而此次拟议的55亿美元和解协议则是其在法律层面上彻底解决该历史遗留问题的最新尝试。

Alongside its legal defense, the pharmaceutical giant had already taken steps to phase out the controversial product from North American markets. J&J officially stopped selling its talc-based baby powder in the United States and Canada in 2020. While the company continued to defend the safety of its talcum powder, the discontinuation marked a significant shift in its product strategy, preceding this latest $5.5 billion proposal aimed at legally resolving the decades-old controversy.

滑石粉作为一种质地柔软的矿物质，曾是化妆品和婴儿护理产品中的主要成分。然而，随着公众对其与癌症潜在关联的担忧日益增加，滑石粉在消费品中的使用已逐渐减少。世界卫生组织在2024年正式将滑石粉列为“对人类可能致癌”的物质。这一权威分类进一步加剧了公众对该成分安全性的质疑，也为针对强生等公司的长期法律诉讼提供了背景支撑。

Talc is a soft mineral that was once a staple ingredient in cosmetics and baby products, but its commercial use has steadily declined as public concerns rose over its potential links to cancer. In 2024, the World Health Organization officially classified talc as 'probably carcinogenic to humans.' This classification by the global health agency intensified scrutiny over the safety of talcum powder products and provided a critical backdrop to the wave of litigation faced by manufacturers.

在面临此次卵巢癌诉讼的大规模和解之前，强生公司已经采取行动应对了其他类型的滑石粉索赔。该公司此前已经通过和解方式，解决了大部分指控其滑石粉产品含有石棉并导致间皮瘤的诉讼案件。通过逐步解决这些涉及石棉和间皮瘤的索赔，强生公司得以将法律焦点集中在目前数量庞大且悬而未决的卵巢癌诉讼上，并最终达成了此次拟议的55亿美元和解协议。

Prior to proposing this multi-billion dollar settlement for ovarian cancer claims, Johnson & Johnson had already resolved a significant portion of its other talc-related legal liabilities. The multinational corporation previously settled most of the lawsuits alleging that its talc products contained asbestos and caused mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer. By addressing those asbestos-related claims, the company narrowed its remaining legal exposure, leading to the current $5.5 billion proposal to resolve the outstanding ovarian cancer cases.