The first trial over the opioid crisis opened Tuesday, with lawyers for the state of Oklahoma asking a judge to rule that Johnson & Johnson should pay tens of billions of dollars to fund an abatement program.
Four lawyers for the state, including Attorney General Mike Hunter, told Cleveland County District Court Judge Thad Balkman in an opening statement that Johnson & Johnson’s oversupply of the prescription painkillers led to massive addictions and deaths, according to coverage of the trial in Norman, Oklahoma, provided by Courtroom View Network. Pursuing a single claim of public nuisance, the state is seeking monetary damages to provide treatment and other programs.
