New York, Feb 5, 2026, 14:05 EST — Regular session
Johnson & Johnson shares climbed 1.3% to $237.59 in afternoon trading, pushing their recent gains further. The move came after the company petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to review a shareholder lawsuit concerning claims about the safety of its talc products. 1
This filing matters because talc continues to pose a headline risk for the healthcare group, and investors have come to see legal updates as potential price drivers—even when they don’t affect sales or margins.
This comes as companies increasingly resist securities class actions. Securing class certification—the court’s green light for investors to sue collectively—can instantly shift the settlement landscape.
Johnson & Johnson, along with several current and former executives, asked the Supreme Court to review a Third Circuit ruling in a petition for a writ of certiorari. The case, San Diego County Employees Retirement Association v. Johnson & Johnson, involves a proposed investor class. The petition argues the appeals court applied an overly lenient standard to connect alleged misstatements with subsequent disclosures. It criticizes the court for treating recycled public information as a “new signal” to the market, which Johnson & Johnson says contradicts the Supreme Court’s 2021 ruling in Goldman Sachs on class certification criteria. 2
The petition emphasizes that the ongoing talc personal-injury lawsuits remain active and distinct from the securities case, clarifying that the latter does not determine talc’s safety. 2
Johnson & Johnson has wrestled with talc-related lawsuits and their legal fallout for years. Last week, a U.S. judge threw out a separate fraud suit targeting J&J’s talc bankruptcy approach, according to Reuters. 3
Johnson & Johnson beat the Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund on Thursday, which slipped roughly 0.3%. Merck climbed around 1.9%, Pfizer rose about 1.2%, and AbbVie was up close to 0.5%.
Investors were also focused on J&J’s MedTech segment ahead of a major cardiology event. The company revealed updates this week on its atrial fibrillation portfolio, including a refreshed VARIPULSE platform and a new ultrasound catheter. It’s also launching the VARIPULSE Plus platform. “Evidence-based innovation is the foundation of how we advance arrhythmia care,” said Michael Bodner, a Johnson & Johnson MedTech executive. 4
The near-term outlook remains murky. The Supreme Court could opt not to take the case, which would leave the class certification ruling in place. Meanwhile, any new twists in talc lawsuits or trial and settlement updates could rapidly shift sentiment.
Traders will be watching to see if the Supreme Court requests a response and how fast the docket advances. They’ll also keep an eye on fresh atrial-fibrillation data expected from the AF Symposium on Friday.
