Johnson & Johnson Reaches Settlement in Opioid Case
The multinational pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson has announced that it reached a settlement with two Ohio counties, Summit and Cuyahoga, regarding the opioid crisis. In the tentative settlement, Johnson & Johnson will pay a total of $20.4 million. $10 million in cash will go directly to both counties. Another $5 million will be used to reimburse the legal fees for the counties. Finally, an additional $5.4 million will be directed to nonprofit organizations that help individuals and families impacted by the opioid crisis.
The settlement reached is the latest example of pharmaceutical companies being held responsible for an opioid and narcotic epidemic that has swept across the country. Earlier this year, Johnson & Johnson reached a much larger settlement of $572 million with the state of Oklahoma. Of note, Johnson & Johnson has denied any role in the opioid crisis in that state and has filed an appeal.
An Argument from Johnson & Johnson
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, manufactured and distributed two separate opioids in both Cuyahoga and Summit counties. Johnson & Johnson argued that its two opioid products, Duragesic and Nucynta ER, make up a very small portion of the opioid market in these counties. Because their drugs are a small percentage of the opioids used, Johnson & Johnson said that they should not be held responsible for the worst drug crisis in the history of this country.
On the other hand, Johnson & Johnson was also responsible for the raw material used to make the popular opioid oxycodone, which is highly addictive. This is one of the most common medications abused during this drug epidemic. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that Johnson & Johnson is one of many companies settling similar lawsuits.
Purdue Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of the well-known opioid OxyContin, is working on a tentative settlement worth $12 billion. The company filed for bankruptcy following this settlement. Its owner, the Sackler family, is still involved in other lawsuits.
Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals has also reached a settlement with the two Ohio counties to pay a total of $30 million. This money will be used to reimburse the counties’ costs and will fund addiction treatment for its citizens.
Federal Case in Opioid Epidemic to Begin Shortly
Assuming the deal between Johnson & Johnson and the Ohio counties is finalized, there will still be six more companies set to stand federal trial in the state in the coming months. More than 2,500 counties, cities, and even Native American tribes have filed lawsuits against drug manufacturers. All of these lawsuits have been consolidated into a single case that will be heard before a federal judge in Cleveland.
These six companies include pharmaceutical giants McKesson Corporation, AmerisourceBergen, and Cardinal Health, along with Walgreens Pharmacy, Henry Schein, and Teva Pharmaceuticals. The lawsuit claims that these companies played a major role in an opioid epidemic that has led to the deaths of more than 200,000 people over the past two decades.
The parties responsible for the worst drug crisis in American history should be held liable for their actions and negligence. That is precisely what these lawsuits are going to do.
Personal Injury Lawyers in Sacramento
I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyer. The opioid epidemic in this country has had an indelible impact on countless individuals and families. If someone you are close to has suffered from an addiction to opioid or narcotic medications due to the negligence of another person or entity, please contact me today by using (916) 921-6400 and by calling (800) 404-5400 for friendly, free legal advice.
I am an honored member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and of the Top One Percent, which is a National Association of Distinguished Counsel. The attorneys in this forum have negotiated settlements & won verdicts calculated at more than $1 million dollars.
My guests should pause for a brief break to look at a handful of our verdicts or settlements here.
Take a few moments to look through Yelp, Avvo, & Google and read some of our earlier client summaries.
Citation of Picture: The image at the beginning was located originally on Pixabay and has been printed at this location with permission under the Creative Commons License.
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