Johnson & Johnson is fighting a move by Oklahoma’s politicians to extend its financial contributions over a period of years as part of a potential $572 million court judgment designed to abate the state’s opioid crisis.
On Tuesday, Johnson & Johnson insisted in a court filing that an Oklahoma state court judge who issued the Aug. 26 bench verdict, which it plans to appeal, said the payouts would be good for a year. On Oct. 28, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt and the state’s two senior legislators filed a proposed amicus brief to clarify that Johnson & Johnson, and not the state’s taxpayers, should continue to fund abatement costs over several years.
