Johnson & Johnson Was Ordered to Pay $572 Million for Its Role in the Opioid Crisis. With Similar Lawsuits Across the Country, That Could Be Just the Beginning

An Oklahoma judge ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $572 million for its role in the opioid crisis in a historic ruling on Monday, marking the first time an opioid manufacturer has been deemed responsible in court and made to pay damages. It could have implications for the slew of lawsuits filed against opioid manufacturers and distributors throughout the country. A much bigger federal case before an Ohio judge involves at least 1,600 consolidated lawsuits from cities and counties from across the country, including hard-hit regions like Portsmouth, Ohio and Huntington, W.Va. The nationwide suit was filed in Ohio because of the state’s high opioid overdose rate, its proximity to various drugmakers’ headquarters and the judge’s experience on a previous consolidated case involving damage claims related to dyes used in magnetic resonance imaging procedures, according to the Associated Press. It is scheduled to go to trial in October. Another 400 cases are being fought over in state courts — many of them brought by state attorney generals. “Regardless of what happened in Oklahoma, the 1,600 cases pending in Ohio are racing towards a settlement. If anything, this trial might hasten the defendants to get the trial settled,” Abbe Gluck, a Yale law professor and Faculty Director of the Solomon Center for Health Law and Policy, tells TIME. The financial implications of the $572 million judgment against Johnson & Johnson could extend beyond Ok...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized legal onetime opioids Source Type: news