An Oklahoma judge ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay the state $572 million for its opioid marketing practices in a case that could foreshadow outcomes in a massive consolidated case in Ohio later this fall.
Attorney General Mike Hunter originally sought more than $17 billion for the state's abatement plan, but Judge Thad Balkman said he was constrained by legal limits around the "public nuisance" charge.
Industry observers have been watching the case for implications on how the Ohio opioid trial may play out.
Hundreds of states, localities, tribes and others are suing Purdue, Teva, Johnson & Johnson and other drugmakers, in addition to distributors including McKesson Corp., Cardinal Health and Amerisource Bergen Corp. and pharmacies such as Wal-Mart, CVS and Walgreens.
The cases are set to begin in October.
