Oklahoma standout LB Owen Heinecke gets court injunction to return to Sooners for another year
Read full article: Oklahoma standout LB Owen Heinecke gets court injunction to return to Sooners for another yearOklahoma linebacker Owen Heinecke has been cleared to return to the Sooners for another season.
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Oklahoma asks court: Make J&J pay $9.3B to end opioid crisis
Read full article: Oklahoma asks court: Make J&J pay $9.3B to end opioid crisisOKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma has asked the state Supreme Court to order Johnson & Johnson to pay more than $9.3 billion to cover the entire anticipated cost of combatting the state's opioid crisis, arguing in its appeal that a lower court’s award wasn’t enough. The company appealed Cleveland County District Judge Thad Balkman's order in December 2019 and the state appealed in January. “Nothing less than the fate of Oklahoma hangs in the balance,” attorneys for the state told justices in an appeal brief. As Oklahomans have continued to suffer and die, all eyes are now on this case,” attorneys for the state said. “The State of Oklahoma cannot — and will never — abate this crisis unless the Judgment is affirmed.”

Oklahoma judge miscalculated judgment in opioid case
Read full article: Oklahoma judge miscalculated judgment in opioid caseOKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - The Oklahoma judge who recently ordered pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson to pay $572 million for its role in the state's opioid crisis says he made a mathematical error when calculating the judgment. As part of the landmark verdict in August, Judge Thad Balkman set aside $107,683,000 to help combat neonatal abstinence syndrome, or NAS. On Tuesday, Balkman agreed with Johnson and Johnson regarding the error. The judge still needs to decide if the court will continue to monitor the opioid crisis for the next 20 years and potentially award more money to the state. Johnson & Johnson has already indicated they will appeal any decision.

From Ferris Bueller to opioid trial: A judge's wild ride into history
Read full article: From Ferris Bueller to opioid trial: A judge's wild ride into history"I recognize that I'll probably be known as the opioid judge," he tells CNN. On the other is Johnson & Johnson, one of the nation's most recognized brands best known for its baby powder, which has said it did nothing wrong. It's all been a wild ride for the "opioid judge" -- who before claiming that monicker had another pretty cool claim to fame: the guy whose boyhood home was immortalized in the iconic 1986 movie "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." Yes, he says, Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals created a public nuisance and should pay more than $572 million to fix the problem it created. A lesson for the youthThe night before he announced his decision, Balkman took to another podium.

Johnson & Johnson ordered to pay $572 million in Okla. opioid trial
Read full article: Johnson & Johnson ordered to pay $572 million in Okla. opioid trialShutterstock via CNN(CNN) - In a landmark decision, an Oklahoma judge on Monday ordered pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson to pay $572 million for its role in the state's opioid crisis. Following the ruling, Johnson & Johnson announced that it plans to appeal the "flawed" judgment. Oklahoma is one of dozens of states suing opioid drugmakers and this case is the first state case to reach trial. Oklahoma battles Johnson & JohnsonAhead of Monday's verdict, Oklahoma and Johnson & Johnson filed their final pleas to Balkman earlier this month, essentially making one final pitch following seven weeks of trial. "In addition to those fundamental legal defects, the State undeniably failed to prove its case," Johnson & Johnson said in its nearly 200-page filing.

Opioid trial judge could deliver biggest judgment in US history
Read full article: Opioid trial judge could deliver biggest judgment in US historyJohnson & Johnson has denied any wrongdoing and said it has been made a "scapegoat." If the judge were to side with Johnson & Johnson, it would provide the pharmaceutical industry with a precedent to defend in cases around the country, observers said. "Johnson & Johnson took a gamble here, going to trial in front of the world in a televised courtroom. Johnson & Johnson attorney Sabrina Strong snapped back: "This is not about hiding the truth." That left Johnson & Johnson alone to defend itself in court.

Okla. urges judge to deliver $17.2B verdict in opioid case
Read full article: Okla. urges judge to deliver $17.2B verdict in opioid caseShutterstock via CNNIn its final filing of a case being watched around the country, the state of Oklahoma implored a judge to deliver a record $17.2 billion verdict against Johnson & Johnson for flooding the state with opioids. Johnson & Johnson argued in its filing that the state's case was flimsy, saying that the public nuisance accusation is based on "radical theories unmoored from more than a century of Oklahoma case law." "In addition to those fundamental legal defects, the State undeniably failed to prove its case," Johnson & Johnson said in its nearly 200-page filing. "It will also be important because it could be the first case to recognize the nuisance theory in the opioid context." "This case illustrates the absurd results that flow from such legal distortions," Johnson & Johnson said.

Historic opioid trial comes to a close in Oklahoma
Read full article: Historic opioid trial comes to a close in OklahomaShutterstock via CNNThe state of Oklahoma and Johnson & Johnson sparred over who should take responsibility for the state's opioid crisis in explosive closing arguments on Monday that marked the end of a historic trial. The lawsuit at the heart of the trial accuses Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiaries of creating a "public nuisance" and costing Oklahoma billions of dollars. Johnson & Johnson argues that its medications are not the cause of the complex opioid crisis and that it has been made a "scapegoat." The state of Oklahoma has presented a $17.5 billion abatement plan over 30 years to address the opioid epidemic. "Johnson & Johnson knew opioid drugs are addictive and cause harm," said Brad Beckworth, a lawyer representing the Oklahoma Attorney General's Office, during closing arguments.
