Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) received a breather as a Philadelphia judge slashed the amount of punitive damages imposed on the company. The damages pertained to the product liability lawsuit related to antipsychotic med Risperdal or risperidone. The plaintiff was initially awarded $680K in compensatory damages and $8 billion in punitive damages. It is the latter part which has now been reduced to only $6.8 million.

The original verdict was passed in October 2019 and was the first to award punitive damages against Janssen Pharmaceuticals, which is a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson. The company was found guilty of under-reporting the risks associated with the drug. The lawsuit was filed by a Maryland man and accused Janssen of improperly marketing the drug as a treatment for certain mental health conditions in children. It also claimed that the company failed to provide proper warning to the doctors about various risks associated with Risperdal.

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