Ahead of opioid trial, Johnson & Johnson settles with Ohio counties for $20 million

(Image credit: Mario Tama/Getty Images)

published 2 October 2019

Johnson & Johnson has reached a $20.4 million settlement with two counties in Ohio, in order to avoid being part of a major opioid trial slated to start in Cleveland later this month.

Under the terms of the settlement, Cuyahoga and Summit counties will receive $10 million in cash, $5 million as reimbursement for legal fees, and $5.4 million for opioid-related nonprofits. The deal does not include an admission of liability. In a statement Tuesday night, Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, said the company "recognizes the opioid crisis is a complex public health challenge and is working collaboratively to help communities and people in need."

Later this month, six companies — including Walgreens and Teva Pharmaceuticals — are scheduled to be defendants in a federal trial, accused of being responsible for the opioid epidemic that has left more than 20,000 people dead in the United States over the last 20 years. In August, Johnson & Johnson, which owns two companies that process and import the material used to manufacture oxycodone, was ordered to pay $572 million for its role in Oklahoma's opioid epidemic. The company has denied any wrongdoing and has appealed.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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