Johnson & Johnson talc powder spinoff files for bankruptcy

A bankruptcy move from Johnson & Johnson could stall any talcum powder settlements for the thousands of families that have sued the company for billions of dollars in damages in recent years.

Officials with Johnson & Johnson said they have created a new subsidiary called LTL Management. Johnson & Johnson said it then moved $2 billion in baby powder lawsuit settlement money to LTL, then submitted LTL for bankruptcy. LTL Management filed for bankruptcy protection in North Carolina on Thursday and listed its liabilities between $1 billion and $10 billion. 

Johnson & Johnson itself has not filed for bankruptcy and neither has any of its other subsidiaries like Aveeno and Neutrogena.