Henson Fuerst

$15

Defective Products

Volkswagen agreed to pay over $15 billion to the U.S Justice Department in the largest auto-related settlement in U.S history. A large portion will refund and repair TDI “clean diesel” model cars marketed with false information about fuel efficiency and emissions.

$9

Dangerous Drugs

A jury ordered Takeda and Eli Lilly pharmaceutical companies to pay a total of $9 billion in compensatory and punitive damages because the companies concealed the cancer risk posed by the diabetes medication Actos. Use of Actos for more than one year was linked to an increased risk of bladder cancer.

$2

Toxic Exposure

A jury in Oakland, California ordered Monsanto to pay more than $2 billion to a Northern California couple suffering from Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma after using Roundup. The jury found Roundup caused the couple’s cancer and Monsanto failed to warn customers of the product’s dangers.

$1

Defective Medical Devices

The hip replacement manufacturer Stryker announced a deal to settle thousands of lawsuits from injured patients. The company will pay at least $1.43 billion due to extreme health problems caused by the defective Rejuvenate and ABG II modular-neck stems, which caused corrosion and fretting.

$900

Defective Products

General Motors (GM) will pay $900 million in penalties in the ignition switch recall case and was required to admit they withheld information about the faulty parts. The ignitions in the affected vehicles can turn to the “off” position while the vehicles are still in motion, resulting in hundreds of drivers losing control and crashing.

$417

Defective Products

A Los Angeles jury ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $417 million to a California woman in a talcum powder lawsuit, alleging the company failed to warn about the risk of ovarian cancer from regular use of talcum powder. The award included $68 million in compensatory damages and $340 million in punitive damages.