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Opioid lawsuit: Judge rules in Oklahoma's favor

TULSA — An Oklahoma judge today ruled that a pharmaceutical company created a public nuisance as defined under state law which “compromised the health and safety of thousands of Oklahomans.”

The judge ruled that the nuisance could, and should, be abated, at the cost of a little over $570 million - much less than the state has asked for, but it's the only such ruling directly finding a pharmaceutical company at fault in the opioid crisis.

Cleveland County Judge Thad Balkman said the state legislature would have to determine if any additional funds would be required to remediate the damage done in Oklahoma.

The trial took about eight weeks, and hundreds of witnesses were called during the bench trial.

Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, were the defendants in the case.

They argued that while they had made the drugs, the blame for overuse of the drugs should fall on doctors which prescribed them and patients which misused them.

Other opioid manufacturers originally named in the state's lawsuit previously settled.

The crux of the state's case was that the companies knew of the potential dangers of the drugs, and deliberately withheld that information from physicians, as well as the public.

Johnson & Johnson has indicated it will appeal the verdict.

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