Oklahoma judge finds J&J liable in opioid epidemic, orders $572 million damages

(Reuters) - An Oklahoma judge on Monday found Johnson & Johnson liable for fuelling an opioid epidemic in the state by deceptively marketing painkillers, and ordered the drugmaker to pay damages of $572 million (466 million pounds).The damages awarded by Judge Thad Balkman of Cleveland County District Court in Norman, Oklahoma, following a seven-week, non-jury trial came in what had been a $17 billion lawsuit alleging that J&J's marketing practices helped fuel the opioid epidemic by flooding..