One of the biggest dockets in United States courts could be heading towards a conclusion.
The massive Johnnson & Johnson talc MDL centers on claims that the company’s talc-based baby powder and other cosmetic talc products caused plaintiffs to develop cancer through regular use over years or decades, with plaintiffs contending J&J knew or should have known of this risk.
Magistrate Judge Rukhsanah Singh has ordered every plaintiff in the case to show cause why their case shouldn’t be dismissed — a major procedural blow that could reshape the litigation’s endgame.
The ruling, filed on Wednesday, stems from J&J’s bid to toss all pending claims after bellwether plaintiffs – six cases selected by the court to test the tens of thousands of other related cases – withdrew their two key causation experts in the wake of hearings to prove the admissibility of their testimony. J&J argued the experts’ own testimony showed no scientific method exists to reliably link one woman’s specific ovarian cancer to talc use. Plaintiffs’ counsel says they intend to try to reinstate the experts and countered that dismissal now would be premature and violate non-bellwether plaintiffs’ due process rights.
Under Magistrate Judge Singh’s order, all plaintiffs (bellwether and otherwise) have a chance to demonstrate they can meet the bar on specific causation, while flagging “grave doubt” that any expert can currently do so reliably. She characterized it as a fairer, more efficient path than case-by-case motion practice across tens of thousands of claims after more than a decade of litigation.
Docket Alarm is tracking nearly 58,000 related cases. There may be more cases related to the multidistrict litigation that have not yet been captured. Filing patterns show that case filings grew generally in 2021, and were supplanted by large spikes in 2023 and 2025. The long running MDL’s docket contains nearly 46,000 entries.
Across the set of cases, a wide variety of counsel are representing both sides, demonstrating the volume of claims. The top defendant’s counsel are Shook, Hardy & Bacon, Drinker Biddle & Reath (now known as Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath) and Barnes & Thornburg. Most frequently appearing plaintiff’s counsel are OnderLaw and Arnold & Itkin. All cases – owing to Johnson & Johnson’s location – are filed in the District of New Jersey.
