Johnson & Johnson Ordered to Pay $572 Million in Landmark Opioid Trial. An Oklahoma judge ordered the corporate giant to pay the massive sum to the state. The judgement was made in response to the opioid epidemic, "an imminent danger and menace to Oklahomans.". Through contracts with poppy growers in Tasmania, Johnson & Johnson has supplied 60% of the ingredients used for opioids such as oxycodone. The state argued that the company marketed the products as safe to both patients and doctors. We’ve shown that J&J was at the root cause of this opioid crisis. It made billions of dollars from it over a 20-year period. They’ve always denied responsibility and yet at the same time they say they want to make a difference in solving this problem. So do the right thing: come in here, pay the judgment, Brad Beckworth, Oklahoma State Attorney, via 'The New YorkTimes'. The ruling is the first of its kind, in which a corporation has been deemed responsible for America's opioid crisis. Around two dozen opioid retailers, makers and distributors face judgement in more than 2,000 related lawsuits, all over the U.S.
