MOSCOW, August 9 (RAPSI) - The Ninth Commercial Court of Appeals has upheld a lower court’s ruling to collect about 321 million rubles (about $5 million) in debt from pharma distributor Grama in favor of the Russian unit of US cosmetic giant Johnson & Johnson, according to court records.

Johnson & Johnson (supplier) has turned goods over to Grama (customer) under purchase contract signed on March 23, 2015. The customer received the goods without objection to their quality, amount, assortment and value. However, arrear with payments for the goods reached 305.7 million rubles ($4.7 million). The court recognized J&J claims as justified taking into account expiry of the contractual deadline for payment.

The court also recovered from the defendant 15.1 million rubles ($232,000) of interest for use of another's monetary assets.

Established in 1886, J&J comprises 250 companies operating in over 57 countries. Its Russian subsidiary has been operating since 1992 and is engaged in medical equipment and diagnostic instrument production, pharmaceutical development and production, and consumer and hygienic goods and contact lens manufacturing.