Johnson & Johnson to pay $572M in damages over opioid crisis

Johnson & Johnson will be forced to pay more than a half-billion dollars in damages after an Oklahoma judge on Monday ruled the drug maker accountable for fueling the state’s opioid epidemic, according to a report.

The pharmaceutical giant will be forced to pay the state of Oklahoma $572 million as part of the landmark case, which is the first in the US seeking to hold companies responsible for creating an oversupply of addictive painkillers, CNN reported.

Issuing his ruling against Johnson & Johnson, Oklahoma Judge Thad Balkan called the opioid crisis an “imminent danger and menace.”