J&J’s Opioid Lawsuit Order Reduced By $107M

J&J’s Opioid Lawsuit Order Reduced By $107M

Introduction

On Friday, November 15, 2019, Judge Thad Balkman revised the amount of the fine ordered for Johnson & Johnson (J&J) from $572 million to $465 million.

Judge Balkman, in his decision, admitted that he previously miscalculated how much it would cost to develop a program for treating opioid-addicted babies. He also denied the defendant's request to further reduce the amount, additionally claiming that he would not revisit the settlement in the future or order additional payments requested by the state.

Opioid overdoses killed 4,653 people in the state from 2007 to 2017, according to Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter. Attorneys of the state claimed that controlling the effects of the opioid crisis in Oklahoma will cost between $12.6 billion for 20 years and $17.5 billion over 30 years.

Opioid lawsuits are consolidated under MDL No. 2804 (In Re: National Prescription Opiate Litigation), presided by U.S. District Judge Dan Polster.