Johnson & Johnson ordered to pay nearly $150M to Washington for role in opioid epidemic

SEATTLE — Johnson & Johnson will pay nearly $150 million to Washington for its role in the opioid epidemic, the Washington State Office of Attorney General announced Tuesday. 

The $149.5 million resolution will be paid in a lump sum this fiscal year. It is an increase over a rejected settlement that would have paid $98.9 million over a nine-year term.

“We have an urgent need for resources to address the fentanyl crisis that is impacting communities in every corner of the state,” Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson said in a release. “We are standing up to some of the largest corporations in the world that fueled the epidemic in pursuit of profit, and we are winning critical resources that must be used to address the harm. We have now recovered more than $1.2 billion to improve treatment options, support first responders, and invest in other proven strategies to combat this crisis — and we’re not done.”

Prior to Johnson & Johnson, Ferguson had rejected settlements from four other corporations in 2022; a resolution with Purdue Pharma required the corporation to pay $183 million, $113 million more than the national deal, and a case against McKesson Corp., Cardinal Health Inc. and AmerisourceBergen Drug Corp. led to a $518 million resolution — $46 million more than the national settlement.

Johnson & Johnson is required to pay the full resolution within 21 days of the deal being ratified by local governments, which must be done by May.