Judge Orders J&J to Pay $1 Billion Over Failed Surgical Robot Promises

A Delaware judge has ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay more than $1 billion in damages for breaching its acquisition agreement with Auris Health Inc., and failing to prioritize the development of potentially transformative surgical robots. Vice Chancellor Lori W. Will ruled on Sept. 4 that J&J had breached its promise to pursue regulatory approvals for two surgical robots, the iPlatform and the Monarch, which were developed by Auris before its $3.4 billion acquisition by J&J in 2019. The lawsuit was filed by Auris’s former shareholders, who alleged that J&J did not meet its contractual obligations regarding milestone payments tied to the regulatory approvals of the robots, both considered breakthrough medical technologies at the time of the acquisition....