J&J Opioid Ruling Provides Clues to How Much Others Could Pay (1)

There are major differences between an opioid lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson in an Oklahoma state court and a much bigger, multi-district case on the same issue in the Northern District of Ohio—but lawyers watching both say the outcome of the first still offers insights into how the odds are stacked in the second.

Judge Thad Balkman Aug. 26 ruled that Johnson & Johnson must pay $572 million to Oklahoma for wrongfully marketing opioid drugs in the case in Oklahoma state’s District Court for Cleveland County. The Ohio jury trial is slated to begin Oct. 21.

The two cases are ...