America’s Worst Companies

Some companies aren’t just bad — they’re dangerous to humanity. They make billions while dodging accountability, mistreating workers, exploiting consumers, and leaving the planet to clean up their mess.

From Big Pharma peddling opioids and asbestos giants hiding deadly products to fossil fuel titans fueling climate chaos and finance behemoths bending markets to their will, these aren’t one-off mistakes. They’re patterns. Repeat offenders. Habitual evaders of responsibility. The worst of the companies that behave badly.

Here’s a running list of America’s worst companies, the cases we’ve tracked, and the ruthless criteria we use to call them out. Think of it as your field guide to corporate misconduct — where harm is routine, excuses are endless, and profits come at everyone else’s expense.

What Makes These Companies the Worst: Our Checklist

Not every company that makes a mistake earns a spot on “The Worst Companies” list. We’re not interested in one-off PR disasters or clumsy apologies by crisis firms. We’re looking at patterns. Repeated misconduct. Business models that depend on cutting corners, shifting blame, and externalizing harm onto the public.

A truly bad company doesn’t just disappoint customers — it exploits them. When we evaluate companies behaving badly, we look beyond marketing slogans and glossy reports. We follow the lawsuits, the regulatory fines, the whistleblower accounts, and the lived experiences of workers and consumers.

Our checklist of corporate wrongdoing prioritizes companies with:

• Profits over people: Decisions that sacrifice safety, health, and human dignity, with vulnerable communities paying the price
• Clear patterns of consumer fraud: Deceptive marketing, hidden fees, or forced arbitration designed to dodge accountability
• Environmental and climate harm as a cost of doing business: A “consumers & climate come last” attitude
• Labor abuses on repeat: Wage theft, unsafe working conditions, and aggressive anti-union tactics
• Mounting lawsuits and regulatory trouble: Significant regulatory fines, government investigations, or class action lawsuits that reveal systemic misconduct — not isolated mistakes.
• Retaliation and secrecy: Nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) to silence whistleblowers, a history of hiding wrongdoing, and cultures that shield executives over everyday people
• Bad reviews from real users: A consistent signal that people on the front lines see what the company won’t admit

The worst companies aren’t just unlucky — they’re built this way. They profit off fine print, forced arbitration clauses, union-busting consultants, regulatory loopholes, and the assumption that most people won’t have the time or money to fight back.

Repeat offenders who dodge responsibility? These are the companies that behave badly over and over, earning their place on our list of America’s worst.

Top 25 Worst Companies in the United States

Some companies don’t just fail at being good — they actively make life worse. They exploit consumers, ignore workers, poison the environment, and treat accountability like an optional subscription. This isn’t about one bad quarter or a slip-up caught by the press. It’s about patterns. Repeated offenses. Systemic harm.

On the list below, you’ll find the companies that check all those boxes: The ones whose profits come at everyone else’s expense and whose legal troubles are barely the tip of the iceberg.

Top 25 Worst Companies in America:

1. Purdue Pharma
2. Johnson & Johnson
3. Monsanto
4. Bayer
5. DuPont
6. 3M
7. BP
8. Johns Manville
9. ExxonMobil
10. Dow Chemical
11. Chevron
12. McKesson
13. AmerisourceBergen
14. Cardinal Health
15. Teva Pharmaceuticals
16. Pfizer
17. GlaxoSmithKline
18. Eli Lilly and Company
19. Abbott Laboratories
20. Volkswagen Group
21. Walmart
22. Meta Platforms (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp)
23. McKinsey & Company
24. BlackRock
25. Vanguard

These aren’t businesses you want to root for. They’re repeat offenders who dodge responsibility, exploit loopholes, and make the rest of us pay the price — literally and figuratively. From opioids and asbestos to fossil fuels and data exploitation, each company below has left a trail of damage you can’t ignore.

Consider this your guide to America’s worst, where harm is routine and accountability is always someone else’s problem.

1. Purdue Pharma

Purdue Pharma sold the painkiller that helped ignite the modern opioid epidemic that’s claimed millions of lives. The company’s blockbuster drug OxyContin^® was aggressively marketed in the late 1990s and 2000s as having a low risk of addiction, despite mounting evidence that the medication was highly addictive.

Sales reps were incentivized to push high doses, and marketing campaigns targeted high-prescribing doctors across the country.

Major wrongdoing allegations and outcomes include:

• Misleading marketing of OxyContin: Purdue promoted OxyContin as safer and less addictive than other opioids, despite knowing the drug carried serious addiction risks.
• Criminal pleas and federal penalties: The company pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges on multiple occasions for misbranding and fraud, paying $600 million and later more than $8 billion in additional criminal and civil penalties.
• Massive settlements: Purdue agreed to a nationwide settlement valued at up to $12 billion to resolve thousands of lawsuits filed by states, cities, tribes, and individuals harmed by opioid addiction.
• Bankruptcy strategy: By filing for bankruptcy amid overwhelming litigation, the company was criticized for failing to take full responsibility for the harm it caused.

At its peak, OxyContin generated billions in revenue while communities across the United States saw soaring addiction rates and overdose deaths. Purdue’s legacy is a public health catastrophe measured in lives lost.

2. Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson’s brand has long been built on trust — baby powder, Band-Aid^®, and other medicine cabinet staples. But for decades, the company has faced relentless litigation across multiple product lines, with allegations that it knew about serious health risks and failed to adequately warn consumers.

Some of the reasons J&J makes the worst companies in the USA list are:

• Asbestos in talcum powder: About 90,000 lawsuits allege J&J asbestos-contaminated talc caused ovarian cancer and mesothelioma. Billions of dollars have been awarded to victims, including $1.5 billion for a woman who runs a nonprofit and $966 million to the family of a grandmother who passed away.
• Bankruptcy tactics: The company also unsuccessfully attempted a controversial bankruptcy maneuver to limit liabilities tied to asbestos talc — 3 times.
• Opioid litigation: J&J has been accused of contributing to the opioid crisis through manufacturing and marketing practices, agreeing to pay up to $5 billion to worm its way out of trouble.
• Risperdal^® litigation: Thousands of claims alleged that the antipsychotic drug caused gynecomastia (the development of male breast tissue) in boys and young men, and significant verdicts and settlements followed, including over $8 million to a man who claims he wasn’t warned of the risks.
• DePuy hip implants: Through its subsidiary DePuy Orthopaedics, J&J faced major litigation over recalled metal-on-metal hip replacements, resulting in roughly $2.5 billion in settlements.
• Pelvic mesh and other device claims: Defective medical devices manufactured by Johnson & Johnson have been tied to severe internal injuries.
• COVID-19 vaccine litigation: J&J’s single-dose COVID-19 vaccine was linked to rare but serious adverse events, prompting FDA warnings, a CDC pause in administration, and global restrictions.

For J&J critics, it’s not one defective product. It’s their pattern. From consumer talc and opioids to medical devices, Johnson & Johnson has repeatedly found itself defending blockbuster products in courtrooms across the country — and losing.

3. Monsanto

Monsanto built its empire on chemicals that reshaped American agriculture — and triggered decades of litigation.

Long before its acquisition by Bayer, the company was already synonymous with toxic exposure lawsuits, environmental contamination claims, and allegations that it manipulated science and regulators to protect its flagship products.

Here are the major reasons Monsanto is among America’s worst companies:

• Roundup^® glyphosate litigation: Tens of thousands of lawsuits allege the herbicide causes non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Multiple juries have returned billion-dollar verdicts against Monsanto, including a $2.25 billion verdict in Pennsylvania and a $2.1 billion award in Georgia.
• PCB contamination: Monsanto manufactured polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) for decades despite evidence of toxicity and diseases like liver cancer. Cities and states have sued over widespread environmental contamination of waterways and schools, resulting in significant settlements, including $120 million in Illinois and $550 million for multiple municipalities.
• Agent Orange legacy: Manufactured during the Vietnam War by Monsanto, Agent Orange was found to cause bladder cancer, lung cancer, Type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, and heart disease, leading to litigation by veterans and civilians who were exposed.
• Dicamba crop damage lawsuits: Farmers alleged that drift from Monsanto’s dicamba herbicide damaged millions of acres of crops, leading to a $400 million class action settlement.
• Allegations of ghostwriting and scientific influence: Court documents in Roundup litigation revealed claims that the company influenced or ghostwrote research to counter safety concerns.

Monsanto became the blueprint for modern corporate controversy — dominate the market, defend the chemical, attack the science, and litigate for decades.

Its name became so toxic that Bayer ultimately retired the brand, but the lawsuits and the damage claims remain.

4. Bayer

Bayer markets itself as a life-sciences innovator. In courtrooms around the world, it’s defended everything from carcinogenic herbicides to contaminated chemicals and defective pharmaceuticals.

After acquiring Monsanto, Bayer inherited — and expanded — one of the largest mass-tort portfolios in modern history. But its litigation exposure goes far beyond Roundup.

Here’s why Bayer is among the worst companies in the USA:

• Roundup and glyphosate cancer: Lawsuits allege Roundup causes non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and juries have agreed, returning multibillion-dollar verdicts for groundskeepers, home gardeners, and others.
• PCB contamination: As Monsanto’s successor, Bayer faces ongoing lawsuits from states, cities, and schools over widespread PCB pollution in waterways and public buildings. Multiple settlements, including one for $650 million, are supposed to make up for the harm.
• Yaz^® and Yasmin^® birth control litigation: The company paid roughly $1.69 billion globally to resolve claims that its contraceptives increased the risk of blood clots and other serious injuries. At least 23 women taking the pills reportedly died, including a 14-year-old and an 18-year-old.
• Essure^® birth control device: Bayer’s permanent birth control implant caused chronic pain, organ damage, and autoimmune complications. The device was discontinued in the U.S., but the harm had already been done.
• Xarelto^® bleeding litigation: Thousands of claims allege failure to warn about bleeding risks associated with the blood thinner. Bayer agreed to a $775 million class action settlement 2 years after being court-ordered to pay $28 million to an Indiana couple.
• Historical controversies: Bayer’s corporate lineage traces back to IG Farben, the German chemical conglomerate whose subsidiaries were tied to atrocities during World War II — a legacy that continues to shadow the brand’s history.

For critics, Bayer represents something bigger than a single product failure. It’s a multinational giant that has repeatedly absorbed controversial companies, controversial chemicals, and controversial verdicts — treating multibillion-dollar settlements as part of the cost of staying in business.

Case in point: In February 2026, Bayer proposed a $7.25 billion Roundup settlement for current and future victims, but critics question whether the fund will be enough to adequately compensate those who’ve been harmed.

5. DuPont

DuPont brands itself as a pioneer in American chemistry — a company that helped build everything from modern materials to agricultural innovation. In courtrooms across the country, however, it has defended decades of toxic contamination and concealed health risks.

Here’s why DuPont is among the worst companies in the USA:

• PFAS “forever chemical” contamination: Lawsuits allege DuPont contaminated drinking water supplies with PFAS chemicals linked to kidney cancer, testicular cancer, thyroid disease, ulcerative colitis, and pregnancy complications. DuPont, along with other chemical makers, agreed to a $1.185 billion settlement to resolve thousands of personal injury claims.
• Nationwide water system settlements: DuPont also agreed to a separate $1.19 billion settlement to resolve claims brought by public water systems alleging widespread PFAS contamination of drinking water supplies.
• Landmark personal injury verdicts: Juries in West Virginia returned multiple multimillion-dollar verdicts against DuPont in cases involving residents exposed to contaminated drinking water. DuPont paid $671 million to settle approximately 3,500 personal injury claims.
• Medical monitoring and scientific findings: Litigation led to the creation of the C8 Health Project, which linked PFOA exposure to 6 serious diseases, strengthening claims that DuPont had long-standing knowledge of the risks.
• Corporate restructuring and liability management: DuPont spun off its performance chemicals division into Chemours. Critics argue the restructuring helped limit direct exposure to mounting PFAS liability while lawsuits continued against successor entities.

Few companies are as closely associated with “forever chemicals” as DuPont. Internal documents revealed the company knew for years that certain PFAS compounds were toxic and persistent in the human body — yet continued manufacturing and discharging them into surrounding communities.

The controversy became so prominent that it inspired the film Dark Waters, bringing national attention to the scale of the contamination.

Today, PFAS litigation is considered one of the largest emerging mass torts since asbestos — and DuPont remains at the center of billions of dollars in environmental and personal injury claims.

6. 3M

3M looks like a friendly tech-and-supplies company on the surface, but behind the labels and sticky notes lie decades of corporate bad behavior.

From polluting communities to selling deadly products, 3M has repeatedly prioritized profit over public safety — and the lawsuits prove it.

Why is 3M among the worst companies in the USA?

• PFAS “forever chemicals” contamination: 3M manufactured and sold PFAS chemicals knowing they were toxic, contaminating water supplies nationwide. The company agreed to pay up to $10.3 billion to resolve claims brought by public water systems over contaminated drinking water and still faces thousands of personal injury lawsuits tied to cancer and other serious illnesses.
• Combat earplugs scandal hurting military troops and veterans: The company supplied defective earplugs to the U.S. military, resulting in thousands of service members suing for hearing loss and tinnitus. After juries returned massive verdicts, including a combined $160 million for 3 veterans, 3M agreed to a $6 billion settlement to resolve roughly 250,000 claims, making it one of the largest mass tort settlements in U.S. history.
• Asbestos exposure: 3M has faced asbestos-related lawsuits tied to respirators, adhesives, and other industrial products alleged to have exposed workers to harmful fibers, contributing to mesothelioma and other respiratory diseases.
• Product recalls: The company has issued recalls and faced litigation involving contaminated or hazardous consumer and industrial products, including firefighting foam and chemical agents.
• Environmental penalties: Fined repeatedly for toxic emissions, water contamination, and mishandling hazardous materials at facilities across the U.S., 3M has opted to pay financial penalties instead of cleaning up its act.

3M proves that even “household names” can quietly leave a trail of devastation — polluting the environment, harming workers, and dodging accountability whenever possible.

With more than $16 billion in recent settlements alone — and ongoing PFAS personal injury litigation still unfolding — 3M’s legal exposure is far from over.

7. BP

BP’s record shows a pattern of environmental disasters, safety lapses, and misleading public statements, cementing its reputation as one of the worst companies for both people and the planet.

From catastrophic spills to regulatory violations, the company has repeatedly put profits above safety and environmental stewardship.

What makes BP the worst?

• Deepwater Horizon disaster: An explosion on the offshore rig killed 11 workers and caused the largest marine oil spill in U.S. history, releasing over 200 million gallons of crude into the Gulf of Mexico. BP ultimately agreed to a record $20.8 billion civil settlement to resolve claims under the Clean Water Act, the largest environmental settlement in U.S. history. Combined with criminal fines, economic claims, and cleanup costs, BP has paid more than $65 billion related to the disaster.
• Texas City refinery explosion: A deadly refinery blast killed 15 workers and injured more than 170. BP later paid over $2 billion in penalties and settlements related to the explosion and safety violations.
• Environmental violations: BP has faced repeated enforcement actions under the Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act, including hundreds of millions of dollars in additional fines for refinery emissions and safety failures.
• Misleading statements: During the Deepwater Horizon crisis, BP was accused of underestimating the spill rate, complicating response and cleanup efforts — allegations that intensified regulatory and public scrutiny.

BP’s legacy is one of preventable disasters, massive environmental harm, and corporate strategies that prioritize revenue over human and ecological safety — a combination that keeps it firmly on the list of America’s worst companies.

With more than $65 billion paid in total Deepwater Horizon-related costs alone, BP’s legal history stands as one of the most expensive corporate environmental failures in American history.

8. Johns Manville

Johns Manville was the largest U.S. manufacturer of asbestos-containing products for decades, supplying insulation, roofing, and industrial materials that exposed millions of workers, construction crews, and consumers to deadly fibers.

Internal documents show company officials were aware of the hazards but continued production and sales, prioritizing profits over human life. The result was one of the deadliest occupational and consumer health disasters in U.S. history.

Here’s what makes Johns Manville the worst asbestos company:

• Massive asbestos exposure: Products used in homes, schools, factories, shipyards, and military facilities, contributing to tens of thousands of premature deaths from mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis.
• Families devastated: By the early 1980s, the company was overwhelmed with more than 16,000 lawsuits from families whose loved ones were sick or had died from serious cancers. Johns Manville became the first major U.S. company to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy due to asbestos liability.
• Knowledge of the risks and failure to warn: Evidence revealed decades of internal knowledge about asbestos risks with little or no disclosure to workers or consumers.
• Fight back against those who fight them: JM has a reputation for retaliating against those they’ve harmed, showing that these corporations will stop at nothing to defend the atrocities they’ve committed. Imagine if Jack the Ripper took the stand to defend his work.
• Asbestos trust fund payouts: Established to compensate victims, JM has since paid over $5 Billion to resolve claims by over 1 million harmed.

Johns Manville isn’t just a company that made asbestos products — it’s a case study in corporate recklessness and disregard for human life. Its products caused widespread, long-term death and illness, leaving a legacy that continues to affect families and communities decades later.

9. ExxonMobil

ExxonMobil didn’t just drill for oil — it allegedly drilled holes into the climate science it helped bury. Investigations and litigation have revealed that company scientists warned internally about the risks of fossil fuels and global warming as early as the 1970s.

Publicly, however, Exxon funded campaigns and trade groups that cast doubt on climate science, delaying regulation while continuing to expand production.

Here’s what makes ExxonMobil one of the worst:

• Climate deception investigations: Multiple states investigated whether Exxon misled investors and the public about climate risks and the long-term financial impact of fossil fuels.
• Exxon Valdez oil spill: One of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history, the Exxon Valdez tanker spilled about 11 million gallons of crude oil into Alaska’s Prince William Sound, making it one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history. The bill? About $3 billion in cleanup costs, settlement payments, and punitive damages.
• Air and water pollution violations: ExxonMobil has been hit with fines and enforcement actions under the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act for refinery and petrochemical emissions. The company agreed to pay over $180 million to resolve refinery emissions violations across multiple states.
• Climate liability lawsuits: Cities and states have sued Exxon, seeking billions of dollars in damages to cover climate adaptation costs, such as sea walls, wildfire response, and infrastructure repairs.

To critics, ExxonMobil isn’t just an oil company. It’s become a symbol of corporate climate denial. Internal knowledge. External doubt. Decades of delay. And a warming planet left to pick up the bill.

10. Dow Chemical

Dow Chemical markets itself as a global materials science innovator. But its courtroom history tells a different story — one marked by toxic chemicals, environmental contamination, and multibillion-dollar settlements.

From Agent Orange and PFAS to silicone implants, Dow has been tied to some of the most controversial chemical exposure cases in U.S. history.

Here’s why Dow Chemical is among the worst companies in the USA:

• Agent Orange litigation: Dow was a major manufacturer of Agent Orange, the Vietnam War herbicide contaminated with dioxin. Dow and other producers agreed to a $180 million settlement to resolve claims brought by U.S. veterans suffering from cancer and other serious illnesses.
• Silicone breast implant lawsuits: Dow Corning, a joint venture majority-owned by Dow, faced massive product liability claims over silicone breast implants. The company later agreed to a $3.2 billion settlement, one of the largest product liability settlements at the time.
• PFAS contamination: Dow has been named in lawsuits involving PFAS water contamination and contributed to multibillion-dollar public water system settlements. Personal injury litigation tied to PFAS exposure is still ongoing.
• Dioxin pollution in Michigan: Dow agreed to spend approximately $77 million on remediation and restoration related to dioxin contamination in Michigan waterways, with long-term cleanup obligations continuing.

Dow’s history reflects a pattern seen in large chemical manufacturers: widespread industrial use followed by years of litigation once health risks become undeniable.

11. Chevron

Chevron has long faced criticism for environmental destruction, human rights violations, and corporate negligence, making it one of the most notorious energy companies in the world.

Its operations have caused widespread pollution and triggered some of the largest environmental lawsuits in history.

What did Chevron do to make the list of the worst?

• Ecuadorian Amazon contamination: Chevron (formerly Texaco) has been accused of dumping billions of gallons of toxic wastewater and crude oil in the Amazon rainforest, contaminating soil and water, and exposing indigenous communities to severe health hazards. Legal battles have dragged on for decades, including a $9.5 billion judgment that Chevron has largely avoided paying.
• Richmond refinery fires and spills: Chevron has faced numerous safety violations, fires, and toxic releases at its California refinery, resulting in over $3 million in criminal penalties.
• Kern River and Pascagoula environmental violations: The company has paid millions in Clean Air Act penalties, including a $13 million settlement related to refinery violations in California.
• Paraquat Parkinson’s litigation: Chevron is a defendant in thousands of lawsuits alleging that paraquat exposure causes Parkinson’s disease. Victims claim the company failed to adequately warn about neurological risks.
• Climate and emissions lawsuits: Chevron has been sued by states and municipalities for contributing to climate change and associated infrastructure costs.

Chevron’s legacy is a mix of environmental devastation, prolonged legal battles, and allegations of knowingly harming communities and ecosystems, reinforcing its place among the worst companies for both people and the planet.

12. McKesson

McKesson is the largest pharmaceutical distributor in the United States — a critical gatekeeper in the nation’s drug supply chain. But in courtrooms across the country, it has been accused of fueling one of the worst public health crises in modern history: the opioid epidemic.

As one of the “Big Three” drug distributors, McKesson shipped massive volumes of opioid painkillers into communities already overwhelmed by addiction.

Here’s why McKesson is among the worst companies in the USA:

• Role in the opioid epidemic: Lawsuits allege McKesson failed to monitor and report suspicious opioid orders, allowing millions of pills to flow into small towns and rural counties. The company is accused of ignoring red flags while overdose deaths surged.
• Massive opioid settlement: McKesson agreed to pay approximately $8.1 billion as part of a nationwide settlement resolving claims brought by states, counties, cities, and tribes. The payments are scheduled over 18 years.
• DEA enforcement actions: The company agreed to pay $150 million to resolve allegations by the U.S. Department of Justice that it failed to report suspicious opioid orders. It was one of the largest civil penalties ever imposed under the Controlled Substances Act at the time.
• Additional state-level settlements: McKesson has entered into separate agreements with states and local governments totaling hundreds of millions more in opioid-related payments.
• Ongoing scrutiny: While the national settlement resolved many government claims, lawsuits and investigations continue regarding the company’s compliance practices and internal monitoring systems.

McKesson did not manufacture opioids, but as the largest distributor in the country, it played a central role in moving billions of pills into American communities. With more than $8 billion committed in opioid settlements, the company’s legal exposure reflects the scale of the crisis it helped fuel.

13. AmerisourceBergen

AmerisourceBergen is a giant in drug distribution, but its reputation is marred by allegations that it helped supply the U.S. opioid crisis. By prioritizing profits over public health, it became a central player in one of America’s deadliest public health disasters.

Why does AmerisourceBergen make the worst companies list?

• Opioid epidemic lawsuits: It was named in thousands of lawsuits for allegedly failing to report suspicious orders and oversupplying pharmacies with addictive opioids.
• Multibillion-dollar settlements: The company agreed to pay $6.4 billion over 18 years to settle opioid litigation, part of a national plan to compensate communities ravaged by the crisis.
• Regulatory fines and scrutiny: The DEA repeatedly flagged AmerisourceBergen for compliance failures in opioid distribution. The company agreed to pay $260 million in civil penalties, making it one of the largest settlements under the Controlled Substances Act at the time.
• Corporate negligence allegations: Critics argue the company turned a blind eye to signs of widespread abuse, putting community health at risk while keeping revenue flowing.

AmerisourceBergen shows that even behind-the-scenes players in health care can be major forces of harm, using their logistical muscle to line pockets at the expense of lives.

14. Cardinal Health

As a key gatekeeper in the drug supply chain, Cardinal Health was responsible for monitoring and reporting suspicious opioid orders. Lawsuits allege it failed to do so, even as overdose deaths surged across the country.

Why does Cardinal Health make the worst companies list?

• Opioid epidemic lawsuits: Cardinal Health was named in thousands of lawsuits brought by states, counties, cities, and tribal governments alleging it oversupplied pharmacies with addictive opioids and failed to report suspicious orders as required under federal law.
• Massive national opioid settlement: The company agreed to pay approximately $6.4 billion over 18 years as part of the nationwide opioid settlement framework negotiated with state and local governments. The agreement resolved the vast majority of governmental claims and directed funds toward addiction treatment and prevention efforts.
• DEA enforcement action: Cardinal Health also agreed to pay $44 million to resolve allegations that it failed to report suspicious opioid orders at several distribution centers.
• Billions of pills distributed: Federal data revealed that distributors collectively shipped 76 billion opioid pills between 2006 and 2012, with Cardinal Health serving as a major supplier during the height of the crisis.
• Compliance and monitoring failures: Lawsuits alleged that Cardinal’s internal monitoring systems failed to stop unusually large and repeated opioid shipments to high-risk pharmacies, even after red flags were raised.

Cardinal Health did not manufacture opioids — but as one of the nation’s largest distributors, it helped move massive quantities of addictive drugs into communities already vulnerable to abuse.

15. Teva Pharmaceuticals

Teva Pharmaceuticals has perfected the art of doing well while doing harm. From jacking up prices on essential generics to quietly aiding the opioid crisis, Teva’s record reads like a “how to make billions at everyone else’s expense” playbook.

They’ve been sued, fined, and investigated — yet somehow, the company keeps finding new ways to squeeze profits out of public health disasters.

What has Teva done to make our list?

• Opioid epidemic role: Thousands of lawsuits claim Teva oversupplied addictive painkillers and ignored warning signs, helping turn a public health crisis into corporate profit. Teva agreed to a settlement valued at approximately $4.25 billion.
• Generic drug price-fixing: A $225 million settlement paid to the DOJ resolved criminal charges related to price-fixing in the generic drug market. The company also agreed to civil settlements, including an $85 million settlement resolving multi-state price-fixing allegations.
• Bribing government officials: The company agreed to pay $520 million to the DOJ to resolve alleged bribery charges in Mexico, Russia, and Ukraine involving violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
• Global recalls and contamination issues: Multiple recalls for potency errors, labeling mistakes, and contamination communicate that it’s easier to take shortcuts when it’s cheaper.
• Antitrust scrutiny: Investigations in the U.S., EU, and Israel for anti-competitive practices prove that corner-cutting and collusion know no borders.

Teva Pharmaceuticals is the kind of company that makes you wish “Big Pharma” came with a “Bad Behavior” warning label — maximizing profits while leaving patients, regulators, and communities to clean up the mess.

16. Pfizer

Pfizer built itself into one of the world’s largest drugmakers, but its legal history shows repeated controversies tied to unsafe products, misleading promotion, and long‑running health risks.

The company has faced major settlements, multidistrict litigation, and thousands of injury claims across multiple drugs, many centered on allegations that safety issues weren’t properly disclosed or managed.

Why is Pfizer one of the worst companies in the USA?

• Historic illegal marketing settlement: Pfizer agreed to a $2.3 billion settlement with the DOJ after its subsidiary illegally misbranded drugs like Bextra^®, Geodon^®, Zyvox^®, and Lyrica^® for uses the FDA never approved.
• Depo‑Provera^® brain tumor litigation: Studies have shown that Depo shots can significantly increase the risk of meningiomas, a type of brain tumor. At least 3,099 lawsuits allege Pfizer should’ve known these risks and failed to warn.
• Depo‑Provera bone density claims: Pfizer had to pay over $2 million in Canada for failing to warn about serious bone density loss linked to long‑term Depo‑Provera use.
• Early product safety controversies: The company has been accused of testing experimental drugs on Nigerian children without full informed consent, resulting in serious harm.
• Talc mine ownership: Pfizer once owned talc mining operations, and its products have allegedly been contaminated with asbestos, leading to harm even to this day.
• COVID‑19 vaccine injury claims: Pfizer’s COVID‑19 mRNA vaccine has been associated with serious adverse events like myocarditis, pericarditis, and other complications.

Over decades, from illegal drug promotion to ongoing product liability litigation over long‑term health risks, Pfizer’s legal footprint shows a pattern of major safety controversies and massive claims, often tied to allegations of inadequate warnings or promotion of products with serious harms.

17. GlaxoSmithKline

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has a long history as one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies, but it has repeatedly faced legal action over unsafe drugs, deceptive marketing, and corporate misconduct.

The company has paid billions in settlements, exposing a pattern of prioritizing profits over patient safety.

What makes GSK one of the worst companies?

• Off-label drug marketing and kickbacks: GSK paid $3 billion in one of the largest health care fraud settlements in U.S. history, resolving claims that it promoted drugs like Paxil^® and Wellbutrin^® for unapproved uses and paid kickbacks to doctors.
• Avandia^® injuries: The diabetes drug caused heart attacks and other cardiovascular problems; multiple settlements and verdicts followed. GSK agreed to a $460 million settlement to resolve thousands of personal injury lawsuits related to the drug.
• Fluoride contamination and product safety issues: Allegations of product contamination and lax safety monitoring in certain pharmaceuticals have plagued the pharmaceutical giant.
• Respiratory and vaccine recalls: GSK has issued recalls for vaccines and medications, including Pandemrix^®, tied to safety concerns and adverse effects in some populations.
• China bribery case: A $490 million fine paid to Chinese authorities resolved allegations that the company bribed doctors and hospitals to promote its products.

GSK’s record shows a consistent pattern: aggressive marketing, questionable oversight, and repeated exposure to high-stakes litigation. The company’s global reach amplifies the impact of each controversy, cementing its reputation among the worst in Big Pharma.

18. Eli Lilly and Company

Eli Lilly has long been a major player in pharmaceuticals, but its history is punctuated by products linked to serious harm, misleading marketing, and aggressive litigation.

From psychiatric drugs to diabetes treatments, the company has faced repeated scrutiny over safety, ethics, and transparency.

What did Eli Lilly and Company do to make the list?

• Zyprexa^® antipsychotic litigation: Lilly paid over $1.4 billion to settle thousands of lawsuits over the drug causing diabetes and weight gain. Internal documents showed the company downplayed risks to doctors and regulators, of course.
• Pediatric antidepressant claims: Allegations that Prozac^® and other SSRIs contributed to suicidal ideation in children and teens led to black box warnings, lawsuits, and settlements.
• Cialis^® and Evista^® marketing lawsuits: The company has faced accusations of off-label promotion and failure to adequately warn about cardiovascular risks in certain populations.
• Insulin pricing and market manipulation scrutiny: Facing regulatory and public pressure for high costs that limited patient access to life-saving diabetes medication, Eli Lily announced it would cap out-of-pocket insulin costs.
• GLP-1 Drugs: The Texas Attorney General sued Eli Lilly in 2025, alleging it engaged in illegal marketing and bribery to induce prescriptions of high‑profit medications like Mounjaro^® and Zepbound^®.

Eli Lilly’s record shows a consistent pattern: profitable blockbuster drugs paired with legal, ethical, and health controversies, highlighting the tension between pharmaceutical growth and public safety.

19. Abbott Laboratories

Abbott Laboratories is one of the largest health care and medical device companies in the world. But alongside its reputation for diagnostics and nutrition products, Abbott has faced major litigation tied to infant deaths, defective medical devices, and pharmaceutical marketing practices.

From baby formula lawsuits to device recalls, Abbott’s courtroom record reflects repeated allegations of corporate negligence with serious public health consequences.

Here’s why Abbott Laboratories makes the list:

• NEC baby formula litigation: Abbott is a defendant in lawsuits alleging that its cow’s milk-based Similac^® formula increases the risk of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in premature infants, a life-threatening intestinal disease. In 2024, a Missouri jury awarded $495 million to the family of a premature infant in one of the first NEC formula trials.
• Infant formula contamination crisis: The company temporarily shut down its Michigan formula plant after FDA investigations linked the facility to bacterial contamination concerns. The shutdown contributed to a nationwide infant formula shortage.
• Depakote^® settlement: Abbott agreed to pay $1.5 billion to resolve federal criminal and civil investigations into illegal off-label promotion of the anti-seizure drug Depakote. The case was one of the largest health care fraud settlements at the time.
• Medical device recalls: The company has issued recalls involving cardiovascular devices and other implantable products, including pacemakers and defibrillators, due to battery failures and safety risks. Certain recalls have been classified by the FDA as Class I — the most serious category.

Abbott Laboratories operates at the center of critical health care markets, but with billion-dollar settlements, large jury verdicts, and ongoing mass tort litigation, its legal exposure underscores the high stakes when product safety and corporate decision-making collide.

20. Volkswagen Group

Volkswagen might sell itself as a symbol of German engineering, but its history is more “Dieselgate” than precision craftsmanship. The company repeatedly misled regulators, customers, and investors to boost profits while polluting the planet.

VW makes the worst companies list because of:

• Diesel emissions scandal (“Dieselgate”): VW installed defeat devices in millions of diesel vehicles worldwide to cheat emissions tests, releasing nitrogen oxide pollutants far above legal limits. This resulted in over $30 billion in fines, buybacks, and settlements
• Environmental and consumer deception: The company misled buyers on fuel efficiency and emissions, contributing to global air pollution and climate harm, resulting in $4.3 billion in criminal and civil penalties.
• Regulatory investigations: Multi-country probes by the U.S. Department of Justice and European Commission caused this worst car company to take hits to its reputation and bank account.
• Corporate governance failures: Internal emails revealed executives prioritized sales and profits over honesty, compliance, and public safety.
• Ongoing litigation: Owners, municipalities, and environmental groups continue legal action for health impacts and environmental damage.

Volkswagen’s legacy shows that a “trusted” and cherished brand can weaponize trust itself, hiding deadly pollution behind glossy advertising while racking up some of the largest corporate penalties in history.

21. Walmart

Walmart isn’t just America’s biggest retailer — it’s also a masterclass in squeezing workers, undercutting communities, and bending the rules to protect profits.

Behind the bargain prices are decades of allegations that the company treats employees, suppliers, and small towns as expendable.

What has Walmart done to make the worst companies list?

• Labor violations: Walmart has faced thousands of lawsuits over unpaid wages, denied overtime, and unfair scheduling practices that keep workers struggling to get by.
• Union-busting tactics: The company has repeatedly been accused of intimidating and suppressing unionization efforts across its stores.
• Discrimination lawsuits: Walmart was on the losing end of a $125 million jury award for disability discrimination and has faced other discrimination suits over race and age. A pregnancy discrimination lawsuit resulted in a $14 million settlement, and a hiring discrimination case resulted in a $20 million settlement.
• Supplier exploitation: The company has been accused of forcing suppliers into unsustainable pricing and labor practices to maintain low store prices.
• Consumer and safety controversies: Multiple recalls for unsafe products, including electronics, toys, and food items, highlight lax oversight in the drive to stock shelves cheaply.
• $45 million weighted goods settlement: Walmart systematically under‑measured products by weight, shortchanging customers and calling it “good value.” Low prices don’t cancel out crooked scales.

Walmart’s track record shows that cutting corners and protecting the bottom line come at a human cost for employees, suppliers, and shoppers alike, cementing its place on the list of America’s worst companies.

22. Meta Platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp)

Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has repeatedly faced criticism and legal scrutiny for practices that prioritize engagement and profit over user safety, privacy, and societal well-being.

From spreading misinformation to enabling exploitative content, the company’s products have had global consequences.

What makes Meta among America’s worst companies?

• Cambridge Analytica scandal: Improper harvesting of data from millions of Facebook users to influence political campaigns resulted in a $5 billion FTC fine, the largest privacy penalty in U.S. history. Meta also agreed to a $725 million class action settlement with affected users.
• Misinformation and election interference: Internal research revealed that platforms amplified divisive political content, yet executives publicly downplayed the risks.
• Mental health and teen safety: Leaked internal documents showed that Instagram exacerbates body image issues among teens, but Meta resisted changes that might reduce engagement.
• Privacy violations: Meta is facing multiple lawsuits and investigations over sharing user data without consent, including the WhatsApp data-sharing controversy. Biometric privacy settlements of $1.4 billion in Texas and $650 million in Illinois were agreed to.
• Content moderation failures: Platforms have been used to coordinate harassment, incite violence, and spread hate speech globally, prompting regulatory scrutiny.
• Illegal tracking: Meta agreed to a $90 million settlement over claims Facebook tracked users’ browsing activity without consent.

In one lawsuit, two families with sons who took their own lives allege that Meta’s lack of safety features on Instagram led to known teen sextortion schemes. They claim that the wrongful deaths could have been prevented if Meta had prioritized child safety over engagement.

For critics, Meta exemplifies a company that monetizes attention at any cost, often amplifying societal harm while protecting profits and executive interests — a digital-era corporate malpractice case study.

23. McKinsey & Company

McKinsey & Company built a reputation as the go-to advisor for governments, corporations, and financial institutions, but its fingerprints are all over some of the most controversial corporate practices of the last few decades.

The firm has repeatedly been accused of designing and promoting strategies that maximized profit at the expense of public health, safety, and ethical responsibility.

Major wrongdoing allegations and outcomes include:

• Opioid crisis consulting: Advised Purdue Pharma on strategies to “turbocharge” OxyContin sales, including targeting high-prescribing doctors, helping fuel one of the largest public health disasters in U.S. history.
• Nearly $1 billion in opioid penalties: McKinsey agreed to pay $573 million to resolve investigations by 47 states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories into its role advising Purdue Pharma on opioid marketing strategies. A $230 million opioid settlement to schools and local governments was also agreed to.
• Prison and surveillance contracts: The company consulted for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and private prisons, raising ethical concerns about profiting from incarceration.
• Environmental and corporate malfeasance: They also provided strategic guidance to companies accused of environmental harm, tax avoidance, and labor exploitation.

For critics, McKinsey embodies the power and risk of corporate consulting: advising clients on strategies that can generate extraordinary profits at the cost of lives, communities, and ethical standards — all while the firm itself remains largely shielded from accountability.

24. BlackRock

BlackRock is the world’s largest asset manager, controlling trillions in investments — and with that power comes influence few can match.

The firm wields its massive portfolio to push profits over people, the planet, and ethical governance, quietly shaping the global economy while staying shielded from accountability.

Why has BlackRock earned its spot among the worst companies in the USA?

• Climate hypocrisy: BlackRock has pledged to support sustainable investing, yet continues to hold massive stakes in fossil fuel companies, raising questions about its true commitment to climate action.
• Corporate influence and lobbying: The company uses shareholder clout to influence company boards and policies, sometimes prioritizing returns over social responsibility or human rights concerns.
• Conflict of interest concerns: By advising governments and corporations while investing in the same sectors, BlackRock has sparked allegations of self-serving policies and insider advantage.
• Housing and financial markets: Accused of fueling housing crises through large-scale investments in single-family homes and mortgage-backed securities, price and rent hikes have been collateral damage.
• Controlling billions in votes tied to problematic companies: BlackRock manages massive share positions in hundreds of the biggest corporations, including many of the worst companies like Bayer, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Meta, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson. It’s almost like BlackRock uses its shares to push a clear agenda of corporate wrongdoing to each of the companies under its influence, as if all of these cases of wrongdoing were orchestrated from above.

For critics, BlackRock is a prime example of how concentrated financial power can operate with minimal oversight — influencing markets, governments, and communities while largely avoiding the consequences of decisions that affect millions.

BlackRock’s power and influence shape corporate behavior without ever being fully accountable for the harms those companies cause.

25. Vanguard

Vanguard may market itself as a passive investment firm for everyday investors, but behind the scenes, it quietly wields enormous influence over some of the world’s worst corporate actors.

Its massive stakes in oil, Big Pharma, tech, and financial services mean it profits from and helps perpetuate systemic harm while keeping a low profile.

Why is Vanguard among the worst?

• Investor in corporate malfeasance: Like BlackRock, Vanguard holds major positions in companies facing historic legal and ethical controversies: Bayer, ExxonMobil, Chevron, Meta, Johnson & Johnson, and more.
• Proxy influence: Vanguard votes trillions of dollars’ worth of shares each year, shaping policies and strategies for companies accused of harming workers, consumers, and the environment — yet rarely takes public accountability for these decisions.
• Climate and ESG contradictions: Despite touting “responsible investing,” Vanguard continues to fund fossil fuel expansion and corporations linked to systemic environmental and social harm.
• Financial sector dominance: Holds stakes in major insurers, banks, and pharmaceutical conglomerates, consolidating power across industries and reinforcing systemic imbalances that hurt everyday people.

Vanguard’s quietly omnipresent influence shows that it’s not just the companies themselves — it’s the financial giants behind them that can weaponize markets, profits, and investor trust against the public.

Vanguard’s reach is vast, its accountability minimal, and its effect on corporate behavior often corrosive.

Worst Asbestos Companies

The worst asbestos companies didn’t just sell a hazardous material — sold everyday items they knew could kill. Internal memos showed manufacturers understood the link between asbestos, mesothelioma, and lung cancer long before the public did.

So they did what the worst companies always do: They hid the research, funded doubt science to convince consumers like you their poison was safe, and sold as much as they could while the going was good. Most filed for bankruptcy to avoid paying what they owed.

Some of the worst asbestos companies include:

• Armstrong World Industries: Asbestos flooring and insulation manufacturer Armstrong filed for bankruptcy and funded a $2 billion asbestos trust fund to dodge asbestos lawsuits.
• Babcock & Wilcox: The boiler maker sold asbestos-containing equipment used in shipyards and power plants. A $1.85 billion trust fund pays current and future victims.
• Bendix Corporation (now Honeywell): This manufacturer of asbestos brake linings and industrial products has paid over $1 billion in asbestos settlements tied to brake products alone. Now, Honeywell continues to fund doubt science to discredit the link between asbestos exposure and mesothelioma, paying off doctors to say your genes cause cancer, not asbestos.
• Celotex Corporation: A major producer of asbestos insulation and construction materials, Celotex pumped over $1.2 billion into a court-ordered bankruptcy trust.
• Combustion Engineering: Asbestos insulation claims tied to industrial exposure resulted in the creation of a $1.24 billion asbestos trust fund.
• Garlock Sealing Technologies (now Honeywell): Produced asbestos gaskets, packing, and sealing products used in industrial equipment and funded a $480 million bankruptcy trust for victims.
• Johns Manville: One of the largest asbestos manufacturers in U.S. history, The Manville Trust has paid over $5 billion to asbestos victims and resolved more than 1 million claims.
• Johnson & Johnson: J&J, the focus of tens of thousands of cancer lawsuits involving asbestos-contaminated baby powder and talc, has been on the losing end of multiple billion-dollar verdicts, including one for $4.7 million, which was later reduced to $2.1 billion.
• Owens Corning: A major producer of asbestos-containing insulation products, Owens Corning faced massive liability and bankruptcy and later established a $5 billion asbestos trust to compensate victims of asbestos-related diseases.
• U.S. Gypsum: A major manufacturer of asbestos-containing building materials, including insulation, joint compounds, and wallboard products, the company’s $4 billion asbestos trust shielded it from lawsuits.
• W.R. Grace: The company operated a vermiculite mine in Libby, Montana, that was contaminated with asbestos, exposing thousands of workers and residents to toxic dust. After decades of litigation over mesothelioma and other diseases, the company established a $3 billion asbestos trust.

“If you have enjoyed a good life while working with asbestos products, why not die from it?”
– Bendix Corporation Higher-Up (1966)

Many of these corporations sought bankruptcy protection to manage overwhelming asbestos liabilities, creating compensation trust funds with an estimated total of more than $30 billion that continue paying claims today. But bankruptcy doesn’t erase history. 

For thousands of families diagnosed 10-50 years after exposure, the damage was already done. The result? One of the largest mass torts and human-made epidemics in U.S. history.

Worst Big Pharma Companies

When a pharmaceutical company cuts corners, hides risks, or floods the market with dangerous products, the fallout isn’t theoretical — it’s measured in addiction, cancer diagnoses, birth defects, and lives lost.

The worst offenders aren’t defined by a single bad drug. They’re defined by patterns: aggressive marketing of addictive opioids, failure to warn about known side effects, contamination recalls, kickback schemes, and billion-dollar settlements that get written off as the cost of doing business.

Some of the worst Big Pharma companies include:

• Abbott Laboratories
• AbbVie
• AmerisourceBergen
• Amgen
• Bayer
• Cardinal Health
• CVS Health
• Eli Lilly and Company
• GlaxoSmithKline
• Johnson & Johnson
• Merck & Co.
• Pfizer
• Purdue Pharma
• Sanofi
• Teva Pharmaceuticals
• Walgreens Boots Alliance

Based on major lawsuits, government investigations, recalls, and past payouts or jury verdicts, these companies repeatedly show up in courtrooms and headlines. Many of these companies have paid billions to resolve claims involving opioid distribution, deceptive marketing, carcinogenic exposure, and defective drugs.

But when the same names resurface across different scandals, different products, and different decades, it stops looking like a mistake and more like the game plan.

Worst Long-Term Care Insurance Companies

Long-term disability insurance is supposed to be a safety net. For many policyholders, it turns into a bureaucratic obstacle course. Families pay premiums for years only to face delayed approvals, excessive documentation demands, surveillance tactics, benefit caps, and outright denials when care is finally needed.

When insurers treat legitimate claims like fraud investigations and vulnerable seniors like line items, they earn a place on this list.

The worst long-term disability insurance companies for paying claims are:

• Aetna
• AIG
• Allstate
• Anthem
• Assurant
• Assurity
• Berkshire
• Cigna
• Disability Management Services
• Great-West
• Guardian Life
• The Hartford
• Liberty Mutual
• Lincoln Financial
• Lloyd’s of London
• MassMutual
• MetLife
• Mutual of Omaha
• New York Life
• Northwestern Mutual
• Principal
• Provident
• Prudential
• Reliance
• Sedgwick
• State Farm
• Sun Life
• The Standard
• UnitedHealthcare
• Unum
• Voya Financial

Unum alone has paid billions of dollars in regulatory fines and lawsuit settlements. Notably, the insurer agreed to pay $8 million to California for disability claims handling practices, $5.55 million to resolve a fees scam, and $1.8 milion to New York for data breach violations.

Together, these companies have faced repeated consumer complaints, regulatory scrutiny, and litigation tied to claims handling practices, benefit reductions, or policy rescissions in the long-term care and disability space.

Not every policyholder has a nightmare experience, but when delays, denials, and fine-print defenses become routine, that’s a business model, not a glitch. And when long-term care benefits are withheld at the very moment families need them most, the harm isn’t just financial — it’s personal.

Worst Companies to Work For

The worst companies to work for don’t just have “high standards.” They have wage theft allegations, FLSA violations, unpaid overtime claims, misclassification lawsuits, and retaliation complaints baked into their business models.

When workers are forced off the clock, denied legally required breaks, shorted on commissions, or mislabeled as independent contractors to avoid paying benefits, that’s not hustle culture — they’re labor law violations.

Some of the worst companies to work for include:

• Amazon: Warehouse workers say the company squeezed extra labor out of them through unpaid security screenings and relentless productivity quotas tied to injury spikes. The company has faced multiple lawsuits over the practice, including a $61.7 million wage settlement to drivers.
• AT&T: Technicians and call-center employees accused the telecom giant of shaving hours off the clock. AT&T has paid hundreds of millions of dollars in overtime settlements, including $2.75 million in a class action lawsuit.
• Chipotle: Investigations uncovered child labor violations and wage infractions across restaurant locations. The company agreed to a $20 million settlement in New York over child labor and scheduling violations.
• Dollar General: Retail managers alleged they were misclassified as salaried supervisors while working long hours without overtime pay. The company has paid millions in wage settlements.
• Family Dollar: Wage-and-hour lawsuits accused the retailer of failing to properly pay workers for overtime and breaks. The company was hit with a $35.6 million judgment for denying workers overtime pay by classifying them as store managers.
• FedEx: Long-running legal battles challenged the company’s classification of drivers as independent contractors. A $466 million FedEx settlement resolved legal claims involving driver misclassification.
• McDonald’s: Workers across the country have accused the fast-food chain of wage theft and unpaid overtime. The company has paid millions in settlements, including a $26 million wage theft case in California.
• Tesla: Employees have raised concerns about workplace injuries, discrimination, and retaliation. The company was ordered to pay $137 million to a Black worker who filed a racial harassment lawsuit.
• Tyson Foods: Meatpacking workers alleged they were not paid for time spent putting on and removing protective gear. Tyson paid $32 million in a nationwide donning-and-doffing settlement.
• Uber & Lyft: Drivers argue the companies misclassified them as contractors to avoid paying minimum wage and benefits. Uber agreed to a $100 million settlement in California and Massachusetts driver classification lawsuits.
• Walmart: The retail giant has faced numerous lawsuits alleging that workers were forced to perform off-the-clock labor. Walmart agreed to pay up to $640 million in one massive wage-and-hour settlement.
• Wells Fargo: Employees said intense sales quotas led to retaliation and unethical pressure tactics, and the bank paid $3 billion in penalties tied to its fake-accounts scandal.

Across industries, the pattern is familiar: Squeeze labor costs, push productivity, and fight claims when workers push back. If a company’s profitability depends on skirting wage laws or shifting risk onto employees, it doesn’t belong on a “best places to work” list — it belongs here.

Worst Companies for the Environment

The worst environmental offenders aren’t just polluters. They’re repeat players in oil spills, toxic dumping, groundwater contamination, illegal emissions schemes, and climate deception. When environmental damage is treated as a line item that’s cheaper to litigate than to prevent, that’s a strategy, not an accident.

These companies have faced massive fines, Superfund liability, criminal charges, and multibillion-dollar settlements tied to contamination that lingers for decades.

Some of the worst companies for the environment include:

• 3M: PFAS “forever chemical” contamination lawsuits are tied to polluted drinking water nationwide. 3M agreed to pay up to $10.3 billion in a water system settlement.
• Bayer/Monsanto: Bayer has committed more than $10 billion to resolve tens of thousands of Roundup lawsuits and has proposed a $7.25 billion settlement for users who developed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
• BP: The Deepwater Horizon explosion killed 11 workers and caused the largest marine oil spill in U.S. history. BP has paid about $65 billion in cleanup costs, fines, and settlements.
• Chevron: In a long-running toxic contamination litigation tied to operations in Ecuador, courts issued a $9.5 billion judgment over environmental damage in the Amazon.
• DuPont: PFAS “forever chemical” groundwater contamination lawsuits led to a $1.185 billion settlement to resolve thousands of personal injury claims.
• ExxonMobil: Climate deception investigations and oil spill liability, including the Exxon Valdez disaster, resulted in up to $1 billion in civil damages.
• Koch Industries: Environmental violations and refinery emissions penalties caused Koch to agree to a $20 million Clean Air Act settlement.
• Norfolk Southern: Hazardous train derailments involving toxic chemical releases put residents at risk. The company agreed to a $600 million settlement tied to the East Palestine, Ohio, derailment disaster.
• Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E): Infrastructure failures tied to catastrophic wildfires caused PG&E to pay $13.5 billion in wildfire victim settlements after filing for bankruptcy.
• Volkswagen Group: The “Dieselgate” emissions cheating scandal resulted in more than $30 billion globally in fines, settlements, and vehicle buybacks.

The pattern is familiar: Deny, delay, litigate, settle — and keep drilling, dumping, or emitting. When communities are left with poisoned water, polluted air, and billion-dollar cleanup bills, the damage doesn’t disappear after the press cycle moves on. It lingers in soil, lungs, and courtrooms.

Worst Company Runner-Ups

Not every awful company makes the worst companies in America, but that doesn’t mean they’re harmless. Some fly under the radar while quietly exploiting consumers, polluting the planet, or screwing over employees — until someone blows the whistle.

They’re the ones you’ll notice only when it’s too late…or when the lawsuits start piling up. Here are some (dis)honorable mentions of the latest wrongdoings in our list of worst companies in the USA:

• Bank of America: Paid $16.65 billion to settle mortgage fraud claims tied to the 2008 financial crisis
• Boeing: Agreed to $2.5 billion in penalties tied to the 737 MAX crashes and related fraud charges
• Equifax: Reached a $700 million settlement after a data breach exposed sensitive information of about 147 million Americans
• JPMorgan Chase: Paid $13 billion to resolve investigations into bad mortgages
• Novartis: Paid $678 million to resolve kickback allegations tied to prescription drug marketing
• Takeda Pharmaceuticals: Reached a $2.4 billion settlement over claims its diabetes drug Actos^® caused bladder cancer
• Toyota: Paid $1.2 billion in a criminal settlement over the unintended acceleration scandal

From tech firms hoarding data and corporations playing regulatory games to consumer brands hiding behind the fine print, these companies are still masters of making life worse while looking good in a press release.

Fight Back: Hit Them in the Bottom Line

When it comes to forcing corporations to pay for massive wrongdoing, you have to hit them where it hurts: the bottom line. Even then, it’s just a cost they accounted for.

Below are some of the largest legal settlements and verdicts in U.S. history — the deals so huge they’ve already become part of the corporate accountability playbook:

1. $206 Billion Big Tobacco Settlement: In 1998, 46 states, 5 U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia settled decades of litigation with the four largest cigarette companies (Philip Morris, R.J. Reynolds, Brown & Williamson, and Lorillard) to recover smoking‑related health care costs and curtail youth marketing.
2. $26 Billion Opioid Crisis Settlements: In 2021, major drug distributors AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health, McKesson, and Johnson & Johnson agreed to a settlement with states and local governments tied to the opioid epidemic — a crisis linked to more than 500,000 U.S. deaths since 2000.
3. $20.8 Billion BP Deepwater Horizon Settlement: The largest environmental settlement in U.S. history resolved federal and state claims following the 2010 Gulf oil spill.
4. $16.65 Billion Bank of America Mortgage Crisis Settlement: The bank agreed to the largest civil settlement with a single entity in U.S. history over toxic mortgage securities tied to the 2008 financial crisis.
5. $14.7 Billion Volkswagen “Dieselgate”: Consumer buybacks, lease terminations, and emissions fixes cost the automaker billions.
6. $13 Billion JPMorgan Chase Mortgage Settlement: JPMorgan resolved federal investigations into the sale of risky mortgage securities that helped fuel the financial crisis.
7. $10.3 Billion 3M PFAS Water Settlement: The company agreed to pay billions to resolve claims that “forever chemicals” contaminated drinking water systems across the United States.
8. $8.1 Billion McKesson Opioid Settlement: The largest share of the national opioid distributor settlement was paid by McKesson related to the oversupply of addictive painkillers.
9. $7.4 Billion Purdue Pharma Settlement: A settlement requires Purdue and its owners, the Sackler family, to pay billions into opioid addiction treatment, prevention, and recovery programs.
10. 7.25 Billion Roundup Settlement: A multi-billion billion settlement proposed by Bayer would resolve lawsuits claiming the company’s blockbuster glyphosate-containing weed killer caused non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
11. $7.2 Billion Enron Securities Fraud: Shareholders won one of the largest settlements ever against Enron for massive financial fraud that contributed to the company’s collapse.
12. $6 Billion 3M Military Earplug Settlement: The company resolved as many as 300,000 lawsuits alleging defective earplugs caused hearing loss among service members.
13. $6.1 Billion WorldCom Accounting Fraud: Investors received billions after one of the largest corporate accounting scandals, in which the telecom company inflated assets by billions.
14. $5 Billion Facebook Privacy Settlement: Meta agreed to the record penalty after investigations into the Cambridge Analytica data harvesting scandal.
15. $4.5 Billion in Johnson & Johnson Talcum Powder Results: A Missouri jury awarded $4.7 billion to 22 women damages for ovarian cancer tied to talc use. The award was later reduced to $2.1 billion. In late 2025, juries awarded over $1.5 billion and $966 million in separate talc mesothelioma cases against J&J. These are only 3 examples out of thousands of J&J asbestos-talc cases.
16. $3.75 Billion Fen‑Phen Diet Drug Litigation: This mass tort resolved claims that the popular weight‑loss drug caused serious heart valve damage, with billions paid to affected patients.
17. $3.2 Billion Dow Corning Breast Implant Settlement: After allegations of health harms affecting roughly 170,000 women, Dow Corning agreed to a multibillion‑dollar payout to resolve claims tied to faulty breast implants.

Behind each figure is real harm: thousands of cancer diagnoses, public health crises, environmental devastation, and long legal battles that finally forced corporate accountability — albeit often decades too late.

Alongside these results came real change: new guidelines, safety standards, and corporate boundaries that prevent at least one of the tricks up their sleeves from being played again.

Hold Even the Worst Companies Accountable

Some companies think they can keep hurting people and the planet without consequence. They count on silence, legal loopholes, empty pocketbooks, and exhausted victims. But you don’t have to play along.

Every lawsuit, every whistleblower, every class action chips away at their ability to keep profiting from harm.

You have options that hold these repeat offenders accountable:

• Be vocal on socials – Write about your experience, share our posts, speak out online. Big corporations hate a paper trail they can’t control.
• Contact us – You may still have legal options against these companies’ wrongdoing, and there’s no reason to leave compensation on the table.
• Take legal action – Money is the only language they understand. Hit them where it hurts and make accountability unavoidable.

Don’t let them get away with it. If you’ve been harmed, it’s time to take action. Get a free case review today and see how you can fight back against America’s worst companies.

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