An entry sign at the Johnson & Johnson campus in Irvine, Calif.MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images
Consumer products giant Johnson & Johnson is appealing an Oklahoma judge’s US$572-million order against the company and its subsidiaries for helping fuel the state’s opioid crisis.
The company filed an appeal with the Oklahoma Supreme Court on Wednesday, arguing the ruling was an “unprecedented interpretation of Oklahoma public nuisance law.”
In his ruling last month, Cleveland County District Judge Thad Balkman ordered the company to pay US$572-million to help address the damage the opioid crisis has caused in the state. Lawyers for the company have said that figure was grossly inflated.
The state had presented the judge with a plan that would have cost up to US$17.5-billion over 30 years.
A spokesman for Oklahoma Attorney-General Mike Hunter said their office is reviewing the appeal.