Judge Thad Balkman speaks during Oklahoma's case blaming consumer products giant Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiaries for the state's opioid drug crisis, in Norman, Oklahoma, in July. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)
An Oklahoma judge has ordered that Johnson & Johnson pay more than $572 million to abate the state's opioid crisis.
The bench verdict, announced by Cleveland County District Court Judge Thad Balkman on Monday, comes in the first trial against an opioid company. Oklahoma had asked for a $17.5 billion abatement plan over 30 years, alleging that Johnson & Johnson's Janssen Pharmaceuticals, as the sole defendant, created a public nuisance when it oversupplied opiate pharmaceuticals in the state, leading to massive deaths and addictions.
Recommended For You
Complete your profile to continue reading and get FREE access to BenefitsPRO, part of your ALM digital membership.
Your access to unlimited BenefitsPRO content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:
- Breaking benefits news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical converage of the property casualty insurance and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, PropertyCasualty360 and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
Amanda Bronstad
Amanda Bronstad is the ALM staff reporter covering class actions and mass torts nationwide. She writes the email dispatch Law.com Class Actions: Critical Mass. She is based in Los Angeles.
