Minnesota Jury Delivers $65.5 Million History-Making Verdict Against Johnson & Johnson

Dean Omar Branham Shirley lawyers secure justice for 37-year-old Minnesota mother of three

ST. PAUL, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A Minnesota jury awarded $65.5 million to a 37-year-old mother of three minor children after finding in her favor in a lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson, concluding that the company’s talc products exposed her to asbestos and contributed to her developing peritoneal mesothelioma, a cancer of the peritoneal lining in the stomach.

The verdict follows a 13-day trial in Ramsey County District Court, where jurors heard evidence that Johnson & Johnson sold and marketed talc-based consumer products despite knowledge that talc can be contaminated with asbestos, a known carcinogen.

Anna Jean Houghton Carley, the plaintiff, was diagnosed in 2025 with mesothelioma, a terminal cancer caused only by asbestos exposure. Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder was used on her throughout her childhood, and those using it on her were never warned about its dangers. The company’s product was taken off the shelves in the U.S. in 2020.

“This verdict does not make up for the pain and suffering that Anna, her husband Mike, and her children will go through all because of J&J’s desire for revenue and company profits,” said attorney Ben Braly from Dean Omar Branham Shirley, which represented Ms. Carley. “This case was not about compensation only. It was about truth and accountability.”

The DOBS trial team presented evidence to the jury that Johnson & Johnson knew for decades that talc deposits are often associated with asbestos and that internal testing and external scientific literature raised concerns about contamination, yet the company continued to market its products as safe for daily use.

Attorneys believe this is the largest asbestos-related verdict in the history of the state of Minnesota.

The entire verdict was compensatory in nature and included awards for past and future economic and non-economic losses. The trial team also included Aaron Chapman, Laurel Halbany and Daniel Liberio and attorney Chad Alexander from Sieben Polk, P.A.

In 2025, DOBS and its attorneys secured verdicts across the nation, including a California case in which jurors awarded its client nearly $1 billion against Johnson & Johnson. That case is believed to be the largest verdict in a mesothelioma case linked to Johnson & Johnson’s talc products.

About Dean Omar Branham Shirley

Dean Omar Branham Shirley, LLP, is a nationally recognized trial firm that handles cases across the country for individuals who have suffered catastrophic injuries or have died as a result of the irresponsible conduct of others. For more information, please visit http://www.dobslegal.com.