New Jersey-based Johnson & Johnson is sued by the US state of Oregon for having conducted a ‘phantom recall’ of its defective Motrin caplets.
Johnson & Johnson has been held accountable for not having notified consumers who bought the defective product, and exposed other consumers to potential danger from its use.
The lawsuit seeks restitution for the purchasers of the caplets, a maximum of $25,000 fine for each violation of a state law governing trade practices, and other remedies.
Reuters.com quoted Oregon Attorney General John Kroger as saying that the company sought to avoid bad publicity by quietly removing the suspect containers from stores through hired private contractors.
Johnson & Johnson was subjected to criticism in the Motrin recall case last year too when USFDA commissioner Margaret Hamburg called it a departure from the company’s history of responsible behavior towards public health.