On Tuesday, October 8, 2019, a Philadelphia jury hit a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, with an $8 billion punitive damages verdict over its marketing of the anti-psychotic drug Risperdal. In doing so, the jury sided with the plaintiff who argued that the health care giant downplayed risks that the drug could lead to breast growth in boys.
The plaintiff sued the company in 2013 alleging that he grew breasts, a condition known as gynecomastia, after he was prescribed Risperdal at age 9 to treat symptoms of autism. The lawsuit accused Janssen of failing to warn doctors about Risperdal’s risks while improperly marketing it as a treatment for mental health disorders in children.
The verdict was the first to award punitive damages against the company for such conduct. (There are thousands of other Risperdal lawsuits pending.) Compensatory damages of $680,000 were previously awarded to the plaintiff in this action in March 2016.
Johnson & Johnson said it intends to appeal the award, you can read their statement here.
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