Controversies

Ransomware attack

Johnson Controls experienced a ransomware attack that encrypted numerous devices and servers. The company shut down or restricted specific information-technology systems as part of its response.

Wisconsin sues Johnson Controls and Tyco over PFAS pollution

Lawsuit filed

Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul filed a lawsuit against Johnson Controls and Tyco Fire Products over alleged PFAS pollution in northeastern Wisconsin. The lawsuit alleges that Tyco released firefighting foam into the environment and that Johnson Controls failed to properly investigate the contamination. These are allegations in the lawsuit, not findings stated in the source.

Tyco merger tax-inversion controversy

The combination with Tyco moved the corporate headquarters to Ireland and was criticized as a tax-inversion transaction intended to reduce exposure to U.S. corporate taxation. The deal also attracted scrutiny over restructuring costs and executive benefits.

United States Supreme Court reproductive-workplace ruling

In United Automobile Workers v. Johnson Controls, Inc., the Supreme Court ruled for the plaintiffs and held that an employer could not exclude fertile women from lead-exposed jobs on the basis of fetal-protection concerns. The decision became a significant employment-discrimination precedent.

Fetal protection policy

Johnson Controls adopted a policy restricting women from certain battery-production jobs because of potential fetal exposure to lead. The policy allowed access to the work only under conditions that included documented inability to bear children, prompting litigation by affected employees and the United Automobile Workers.