A group of Johnson & Johnson shareholders accused the company’s directors of ignoring “red flags” foreshadowing product recalls and government probes of manufacturing defects and marketing practices.

The shareholders asked a Federal Judge to find that directors and top executives mismanaged the situation and force them to pay damages.  . Any money recovered would go to the company and not investors individually. They also want J&J to “improve its corporate governance and internal procedures,” according to a complaint filed Dec. 17 in federal court in Trenton, New Jersey.

Johnson & Johnson, the world’s largest manufacturer of health-care products was forced to recall more than 40 types of different medicines this year because of contamination and incorrect labeling. U.S. lawmakers began investigating J&J after a recall of batches of children’s Tylenol in April forced the company to suspend operations at a Pennsylvania plant.

The probe uncovered the use of contractors to buy defective Motrin painkiller.

J&J also faces government investigations into whether it illegally marketed drugs and devices for uses not approved by the Food and Drug Administration and paid kickbacks. On Dec. 17, shareholders amended their so-called derivative lawsuits that seek to force directors and officers to pay the company.

While J&J once set “the gold standard for integrity and excellence,” the directors’ “utter disregard for their fiduciary duties, including permitting and fostering a culture of systemic, calculated and widespread legal violations has destroyed J&J’s hard-earned reputation,” shareholders claim.