Landmark ruling in Oklahoma opioid lawsuit
J&J judged responsible for ‘public nuisance’ in first case to go to trial
An Oklahoma court has awarded the state $572 million (£475 million) in damages against Johnson & Johnson for the harm caused by its inappropriate marketing of opioid medications for chronic pain. It is the first case against an opioid manufacturer to reach trial rather than be settled out-of-court. The state had been seeking $17 billion to pay for addiction treatment and services. Two other defendants have already settled: Purdue for $270 million and Teva for $85 million.