J&J’s Janssen settles with WVa for $99M in opioid lawsuit

By LEAH WILLINGHAM
Associated Press

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia will receive $99 million in a settlement finalized with Johnson & Johnson’s subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. The state filed a lawsuit accusing the drugmaker of contributing to the opioid crisis in the state that’s led the nation in overdose deaths. State Attorney General Patrick Morrisey says he believes West Virginia’s settlement with Janssen is the largest in the country per capita. The settlement was announced at the start of the third week of the trial against Janssen, Teva Pharmaceuticals Inc., AbbVie Inc.’s Allergan and their family of companies. A spokesperson for Johnson & Johnson says the settlement is not an “admission of liability or wrongdoing.”