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Opioid Litigation Daily Media Report - 1/5/2018
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Lead Attys Named For Massive Opioid MDL
Jan 4, 2018 | Law360
By Jeff Overley
An Ohio federal judge on Thursday approved lead attorneys and an elaborate legal support team to litigate a gargantuan case against painkiller manufacturers and distributors blamed for the nation’s opioid crisis. -
Federal judge picks leading plaintiffs' counsel in opioid litigation
Jan 4, 2018 | Reuters
By Nate Raymond
Several plaintiffs’ lawyers who were involved multibillion dollar settlements with the tobacco industry in the 1990s were on Thursday named to leadership positions in the consolidated federal litigation against opioid manufacturers and distributors. -
Meck. County leaders mull joining lawsuit to fight overdoses
Jan 4, 2018 | WCNC (NC)
By Alex Shabad
The fight against overdose deaths could put Mecklenburg County into a major legal battle. -
North Carolina county targets 24 drug companies with opioid lawsuit
Jan 4, 2018 | Becker's Hospital Review
By Brian Zimmerman
An attorney representing Surry County filed a 165-page federal lawsuit Dec. 29, naming 24 drug manufacturers, distributors and their subsidiaries as defendants, according to a Winston-Salem Journal report. -
Augusta considering litigation against opioid companies
Jan 5, 2018 | Augusta Chronicle (GA)
By Susan McCord
Augusta is taking steps to join in litigation against manufacturers and distributors of prescription opioids for unfair marketing and failure to properly monitor distribution of the dangerous painkillers. -
City of Mobile joins legal battle against opioid producers
Jan 4, 2018 | Lagniappe Weekly (AL)
By Jason Johnson
Mobile has joined cities and counties around the country in filing federal lawsuits against the manufacturers and distributors of several prevalent opioid painkillers — claiming the companies “intentionally and unlawfully” created a deadly and ongoing nuisance for communities. -
Williamson County Suing Major Drug Corporations Over Opioids
Jan 4, 2018 | Willliamson Source (TN)
By Zach Harmuth
Williamson County, Tennessee announced on Wednesday that it filed a lawsuit in the Middle District of Tennessee against several of the country’s drug manufacturers and distributors. -
KEWAUNEE COUNTY JOINS LEGAL BATTLE AGAINST OPIOIDS MANUFACTURERS
Jan 4, 2018 | The Kewaunee County Comet (WI)
By Warren Bluhm
Kewaunee County has joined a large majority of Wisconsin counties in filing suit against “Big Pharma” for misrepresenting the dangers of opioid addiction. -
Winnebago County Board committee moves forward with opioid litigation
Jan 4, 2018 | WIFR (IL)
By Staff
The Winnebago County Board's Public Safety Committee is moving forward with a lawsuit that could result in more than $10 million for the city and county. -
County joins suit against ‘big pharma’
Jan 4, 2018 | Mining Journal (MI)
By Jaymie Depew
Marquette County will be joining a nationwide lawsuit against big pharmaceutical companies and distributors in response to the opioid epidemic as addiction rates continue to rise across the country. -
Anne Arundel First MD County To Sue Doctors, Opioid Makers
Jan 4, 2018 | Crofton Patch (MD)
By Deb Belt
Anne Arundel County is the first county in Maryland to sue the makers and distributors of opioids, along with local doctors whom authorities allege over-prescribe the highly addictive drugs that have been cited as a gateway to the abuse of heroin and other narcotics. -
County considers drug company litigation
Jan 4, 2018 | Valley Courier (CO)
By Jefferson Geiger
Alamosa County may join other counties across the country in a multidistrict litigation against pharmaceutical manufactures and distributors. However, officials are waiting to see how Colorado counties and the Colorado Attorney General's Office act before making a decision. -
CUOMO PROPOSES SUING OPIOID MANUFACTURERS BUT OFFERS FEW DETAILS
Jan 4, 2018 | City & State New York (NY)
By Grace Segers
In his State of the State address, Gov. Andrew Cuomo took aim at the pharmaceutical industry, noting how life expectancy decreased in 2017 for the second year in a row due to an uptick in drug overdoses, particularly opioid-related abuse. -
The opioid crisis (OPINION)
Jan 4, 2018 | The Washington Times
By Alfred S. Regnery
Over 64,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2016 — 21 percent more than 2015. The toll in 2017 is unknown, but is estimated to be higher still. The 2016 figure is over twice the number of all gun-related homicides and suicides, and more than American combat losses during the entire nine-year war in Vietnam. Opioids, the latest deadly trend in the drug world, made up well over half of those deaths, and more than 15,000 fatalities resulted from overdoses of prescribed drugs. -
11 News at 5
Jan 4, 2018 | WBAL (NBC)
By Baltimore, MD
Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/31718408?token=b64c475c-8222-4751-8b21-6bf8df22a102 -
Afternoon Report
Jan 4, 2018 | WNC8 (NEWS8)
By Washington D.C.
Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/31718396?token=b64c475c-8222-4751-8b21-6bf8df22a102 -
Good Morning Augusta
Jan 5, 2018 | WJBF (ABC)
By Augusta, GA
Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/31718381?token=b64c475c-8222-4751-8b21-6bf8df22a102 -
KTBS 3 News First News
Jan 5, 2018 | KTBS (ABC)
By Shreveport, LA
Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/31718350?token=b64c475c-8222-4751-8b21-6bf8df22a102 -
Eyewitness News at 6:00
Jan 4, 2018 | WSOC (ABC)
By Charlotte, NC
Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/31718397?token=b64c475c-8222-4751-8b21-6bf8df22a102
MDL - Lead Attorney's Named
Southeast (NC, GA, AL, TN)
Midwest (WI, IL, MI)
Northeast (MD)
West (CO)
Commentary and FYIs
Broadcast Media Coverage
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Lead Attys Named For Massive Opioid MDL
Jan 4, 2018 | Law360
By Jeff Overley
An Ohio federal judge on Thursday approved lead attorneys and an elaborate legal support team to litigate a gargantuan case against painkiller manufacturers and distributors blamed for the nation’s opioid crisis.
U.S. District Judge Dan Aaron Polster endorsed a complex organizational structure for lawyers representing a variety of plaintiffs — including government entities, hospitals and unions — that are suing the who’s who of Big Pharma. The multidistrict litigation — a consolidation of more than 200 suits — alleges reckless sales of highly addictive prescription drugs and breathtaking financial costs related to law enforcement and health care.
Paul J. Hanly Jr. of Simmons Hanly Conroy LLC, one of three lawyers named as co-lead counsel, told Law360 on Thursday that the case is the “largest MDL in history” and that damages could reach into the “hundreds of billions” of dollars. It is not known how long discovery or the broader litigation might take, Hanly added.
Joseph F. Rice of Motley Rice LLC and Paul T. Farrell Jr. of Greene Ketchum Farrell Bailey & Tweel LLP were also named as co-lead counsel. The three lead attorneys will be responsible for delivering arguments to the court, developing a litigation plan with defense counsel, and organizing a monumental discovery process, among other things.
Thursday’s order also approved the membership of an executive committee that will be tasked with “the massive undertaking of coordinating and conducting pretrial proceedings,” according to a recent motion. The executive committee will create a steering committee to oversee different parties to the case and separate tracks that might be established within the MDL. Judge Polster's order also approved the selection of three attorneys as co-liaison counsel.More than 50,000 drug overdose deaths in 2016 were attributed to opioids, including prescription painkillers and illicit narcotics. That is more than 10 times the number of Americans who died in the entire Iraq War.
Manufacturers targeted in the case include Purdue Pharma LP, Teva Pharmaceuticals USA Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc., Allergan Inc. and Mallinckrodt LLC. Distributors targeted in the case include Cardinal Health Inc., AmerisourceBergen Corp. and McKesson Corp., which control most of the U.S. drug distribution market, as well as units of CVS Health Corp. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
Judge Polster in December approved liaison counsel and steering committee membership for the manufacturers and distributors.
Some of the companies have already been hit with big penalties in opioid cases brought by the U.S. Department of Justice. For example, Purdue in 2007 paid $600 million and admitted to downplaying the addiction risks of OxyContin, the company's flagship product. Last year McKesson paid a $150 million penalty for allegedly failing to report suspicious opioid orders.
The case is In re: National Prescription Opiate Litigation, case number 1:17-md-02804, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. -
Federal judge picks leading plaintiffs' counsel in opioid litigation
Jan 4, 2018 | Reuters
By Nate Raymond
Several plaintiffs’ lawyers who were involved multibillion dollar settlements with the tobacco industry in the 1990s were on Thursday named to leadership positions in the consolidated federal litigation against opioid manufacturers and distributors.
U.S. District Judge Dan Polster in Cleveland approved three plaintiffs’ lawyers to serve as co-lead counsel in the multidistrict litigation as well as a 16-member executive committee.
To read the full story on Westlaw Practitioner Insights, click here: bit.ly/2CEh224
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Meck. County leaders mull joining lawsuit to fight overdoses
Jan 4, 2018 | WCNC (NC)
By Alex Shabad
The fight against overdose deaths could put Mecklenburg County into a major legal battle.
NBC Charlotte has learned county commissioners are now considering joining other counties in a lawsuit against big drug companies. Sources tell NBC Charlotte the issue was just discussed last night in a closed-door meeting.
Mecklenburg County Commissioner Pat Cotham says she supports joining the lawsuit. She said she’s been to too many funerals and it needs to stop.
“Six weeks in a row I went to a funeral,” said Cotham. “It was just breaking my heart.”
Cotham is now pushing for the state’s biggest county to take a legal stand against the nation’s big drug companies.
“If we can send a message to these big drug companies, ‘Hold on, you are killing our kids and this isn’t right’,” explained Cotham.
County leaders say the idea of suing the drug companies was discussed in a closed-door meeting in November. Cotham wouldn’t confirm or deny details in the meeting; however, she says the lawsuit involves counties in North Carolina and around the country, and she hopes Mecklenburg County soon, too.
“The big engine of the state, I think it would send a strong message,” said Cotham.
Mecklenburg County is one of the hardest hit counties in the state. According to the Governor’s Office, the number of opioid deaths in North Carolina jumped from 642 in 2005 to more than 1,100 in 2015.
“We need to push back and say enough of this,” says Cotham.
Cotham says the lawsuit wouldn’t cost taxpayers because attorneys are taking on the financial risk.
“We don’t have to pay out anything, so there’s no taxpayer dollars being put into it,” said Cotham.
She says the cost of not taking a stand is too high.
“I don’t want to go to more funerals in 2018,” she declared.
At this point, it’s not clear when county commissioners will make a decision about whether to join the lawsuit.
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North Carolina county targets 24 drug companies with opioid lawsuit
Jan 4, 2018 | Becker's Hospital Review
By Brian Zimmerman
An attorney representing Surry County filed a 165-page federal lawsuit Dec. 29, naming 24 drug manufacturers, distributors and their subsidiaries as defendants, according to a Winston-Salem Journal report.
The suit — in keeping with dozens of others filed on behalf of local governments around the nation — alleges drugmakers and drug distributors spread misinformation regarding the safety of opioids. The suit also alleges companies marketed the drugs directly to vulnerable populations such as the elderly and veterans.
"Our 165-page complaint makes clear the dire need for abatement of this nuisance and details some of the damage suffered by our county," said Ed Woltz, Surry County attorney, according to the Winston-Salem Journal. "We are taking this action against the fundamental cause of the opioid crisis — the manufacturers' and distributors' failure to follow well understood laws surrounding the marketing and distribution of highly addictive narcotics."
From 2008 to 2016, Surry County experienced 100 opioid-related deaths.
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Augusta considering litigation against opioid companies
Jan 5, 2018 | Augusta Chronicle (GA)
By Susan McCord
Augusta is taking steps to join in litigation against manufacturers and distributors of prescription opioids for unfair marketing and failure to properly monitor distribution of the dangerous painkillers.
Commissioners were handed a memo Tuesday detailing the role of the drug makers and distributors in contributing to a “public health crisis” where patients are turned into addicts to feed corporate greed.
City General Counsel Andrew MacKenzie said the lead counsel in the litigation would be Baron and Budd, headquartered in Dallas, if the commission finalizes plans to participate. Other law firms would also be involved.
Several commissioners including Marion Williams and Andrew Jefferson said they’d learned participating in the lawsuit will cost taxpayers nothing. In a similar case filed by Baron and Budd and other firms in Louisville, Ky., the firms would be awarded 30 percent of any cash settlement.
The memo cites Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics showing opioid prescribing rates in Augusta are above the national average of 66.5 per 100 people.
In 2016, the rate was 86.8 prescriptions per 100 people in Augusta-Richmond County, down from 110.4 per 100 in 2012. In neighboring Columbia County, the 2016 rate was 81 prescriptions per 100 people.
Opioids include drugs such as morphine, hydrocodone, fentanyl and methadone used pharmaceutically, as well as the illicit U-47700, manufactured fentanyl variants and heroin.
In October, Richmond County Sheriff’s Sgt. Joel Danko said opioid overdoses are up from 45 in 2015 and 2016 to 63 over the same 10-month period this year. Augusta Fire Chief Chris James said in November that first responders had administered 11 units of the overdose-reversing drug Narcan in two months. Statewide, 982 died from opioid overdoses in 2016, according to Georgia Department of Public Health data.
District Attorney Natalie Paine called the opioid problem an epidemic and said it’s the “strongest, deadliest and most heartless killer” she has faced, and that Augusta is only beginning to see the damage it will inflict.
Opioid addiction transcends age, race, socioeconomic status and “truly does not discriminate,” Paine said. “It has destroyed families, taken parents from their children, children from their parents and claimed the lives of people who would otherwise probably have never have been a drug addict if they hadn’t begun taking legal, prescribed medication.”
The memo suggests Augusta seek compensation for three times the damages the city has sustained, as well as attorney fees, under federal or state racketeering acts, or damages under fair business practice or public nuisance actions.
Some commissioners questioned whether Augusta could show that the local government has been harmed by opioids. “We’d have to show damages,” Commissioner Wayne Guilfoyle said.
Augusta would join Fulton, DeKalb and other Georgia counties and cities in filing suit against opioid manufacturers and distributors.
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City of Mobile joins legal battle against opioid producers
Jan 4, 2018 | Lagniappe Weekly (AL)
By Jason Johnson
Mobile has joined cities and counties around the country in filing federal lawsuits against the manufacturers and distributors of several prevalent opioid painkillers — claiming the companies “intentionally and unlawfully” created a deadly and ongoing nuisance for communities.
While local governments have sued national drugmakers before, the growing opioid “crisis” added significant momentum to the trend in 2017. Today, more than 200 such federal lawsuits have been filed, which doesn’t include multiple other lawsuits brought in various state courts.
Alabama has disproportionately suffered from prescription painkiller abuse, at an estimated rate of 142.9 prescriptions per 100 persons, and Mobile has not avoided the effects.
According to the city, drug poisoning deaths have increased significantly in recent years in Mobile County, which is expected to file a similar lawsuit in the coming weeks.
“In 2016, there were 133 prescriptions dispensed per hundred people in the county, and only after state and county addiction prevention measures managed to draw down the amount from a peak of 164 prescriptions per 100 people in 2013,” the city’s legal complaint reads. “[Residents] reporting drug dependence and nonmedical use of pain relievers in 2016 was higher than the state average, at 2.5 percent and 5.2 percent, respectively.”
In their complaint, the city paints a picture of an opioid problem that’s a “public nuisance” — one Mayor Sandy Stimpson said Mobile has continued to bear the the brunt of because of the expense of treatment, education, law enforcement and services for children of drug abusers.
“Homes have been broken and families torn apart by this epidemic, which has claimed victims from all walks of life,” Stimpson said. “The pharmaceutical drug manufacturers and wholesale drug distributors failed in their legal obligation to notify the Drug Enforcement Administration [DEA] of suspicious orders, even as the number of pills flowing into our city rose and rose.”
As Lagniappe has previously reported, Mobile Infirmary and two hospitals in Mississippi filed a similar lawsuit against some of the same companies last month including manufacturers Purdue Pharma and Endo Pharmaceuticals and distributors such as the McKesson Corp.
That lawsuit was swept into pretrial proceedings before U.S. District Judge Dan Polster in Cleveland, Ohio, last month. The multidistrict litigation consolidated roughly 189 cases from Alabama, California, Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio, Washington and West Virginia — all areas disproportionately impacted by the diversion and abuse of prescription opioids.
Multidistrict litigation (MDL) allows federal courts with similar cases to combine them under a single umbrella, which can accelerate the early stages of lawsuits, like discovery and pretrial rulings. Cases can be settled through MDL, but are sent back to their original courts if they move to trial. Some lawsuits filed after the 2010 BP oil spill were handled in a similar manner.
Currently, it’s unclear whether the city of Mobile’s lawsuit would be lumped in with other cases like one involving Mobile Infirmary, though it raises similar accusations that opioid manufacturers and distributors used “false, deceptive and unfair marketing practices” to push their products.
“The manufacturers aggressively pushed highly addictive, dangerous opioids, falsely representing to doctors that patients would only rarely succumb to drug addiction,” the complaint states. “These pharmaceutical companies aggressively advertised to and persuaded doctors to prescribe highly addictive, dangerous opioids, which turned patients into drug addicts for their own corporate profit.”
Like Mobile, several cities and counties have taken their attempts to stem the use of opioids to court, but unlike a handful of other states, Alabama has not fielded a similar legal challenge against those manufacturers directly. That could be partially due to government philosophy.
Attorney General Steve Marshall addressed the issue while speaking to the Brevard Hand-Alex Howard Chapter of the Mobile Federalist Society in September, saying his office would not be part of efforts “to use civil litigation to regulate industries or to coerce windfall settlements.”
“Sometimes that may mean that my office sits out of litigation other states initiate,” he said. “You’re seeing that right now in the world of opioids, where many states have sued. I’m not yet convinced that’s the right way to go.”
While Marshall hasn’t pushed for a lawsuit on Alabama’s behalf, he is part of a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general participating in an ongoing investigation into whether drug manufacturers have engaged in unlawful practices.
That group of 41 attorneys general has issued subpoenas for documents and testimony to determine the appropriate course of action in addressing opioid abuse. The group hasn’t officially identified any targets of its investigation, but it’s been reported the inquiry focuses on many of the same companies named in the flurry of recent civil lawsuits.
Marshall also oversees the newly created Alabama Opioid Overdose and Addiction Council, which was established by Gov. Kay Ivey in August.
In response to the recent flurry of lawsuits, many of the companies named as defendants have denied all allegations of improper or fraudulent business practices and many have touted their efforts to make opioids that are hard to abuse or divert.
Last week, the Healthcare Distribution Alliance, a national trade association representing drugs distributors like AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health, and McKesson, released the following statement to Lagniappe from Senior Vice President John Parker.
“As distributors, we understand the tragic impact the opioid epidemic has on communities across the country. We are deeply engaged in the issue and are taking our own steps to be part of the solution – but we aren’t willing to be scapegoats.
“Distributors are logistics companies that arrange for the safe and secure storage, transport, and delivery of medicines from manufacturers to pharmacies, hospitals, long-term care facilities, and others based on prescriptions from licensed physicians. We don’t make medicines, market medicines, prescribe medicines, or dispense them to consumers.
“Given our role, the idea that distributors are solely responsible for the number of opioid prescriptions written defies common sense and lacks understanding of how the pharmaceutical supply chain actually works and how it is regulated.
“We are ready to have a serious conversation about solving a complex problem and are eager to work with political leaders and all stakeholders in finding forward-looking solutions.”
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Williamson County Suing Major Drug Corporations Over Opioids
Jan 4, 2018 | Willliamson Source (TN)
By Zach Harmuth
Williamson County, Tennessee announced on Wednesday that it filed a lawsuit in the Middle District of Tennessee against several of the country’s drug manufacturers and distributors.
The lawsuit holds five of the largest manufacturers of prescription opioids and their related companies, and the country’s three largest wholesale drug distributors, accountable for failing to do what they were charged with under the federal Controlled Substances Act: monitor, identify and report suspicious activity in the size and frequency of opioid shipments to pharmacies and hospitals, according to a statement on behalf of the county by its counsel, the Franklin law firm Buerger, Moseley and Carson.
“The residents of Williamson County and Tennessee continue to bear the burden of the cost of the epidemic, as the costs of treatment for addiction, education and law enforcement have continued to rise,” the release stated.
A number of companies are named as defendants in the suit, including Cardinal Health Inc., McKesson Corporation, Purdue Pharma L.P., Purdue Pharma Inc., The Purdue Frederick Company Inc., Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd., Johnson & Johnson, Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc and Ortho-McNeil-Janssen.
According to the Tennessee Department of Health, 1,631 Tennesseans died from drug overdoses in 2016, the highest annual number of such deaths recorded in state
history and a 12 percent increase from the previous year. Based on the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 6 opioid prescriptions were dispensed for every 10 residents of Williamson County in 2016.
Williamson County is joining a growing list of city and county governments across the country that are taking action against the drug manufacturers and distributors for fueling the opioid crisis in their communities.
The County has hired expert law firms, experienced in holding the powerful pharmaceutical industry accountable. Those firms include: Levin, Papantonio, Thomas,
Mitchell, Rafferty & Proctor; Greene Ketchum Bailey Farrell & Tweel; Baron & Budd; Hill, Peterson, Carper, Bee & Deitzler; and McHugh Fuller Law Group.
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KEWAUNEE COUNTY JOINS LEGAL BATTLE AGAINST OPIOIDS MANUFACTURERS
Jan 4, 2018 | The Kewaunee County Comet (WI)
By Warren Bluhm
Kewaunee County has joined a large majority of Wisconsin counties in filing suit against “Big Pharma” for misrepresenting the dangers of opioid addiction.
The County Board voted in December to engage the law firms von Briesen & Roper SC, Crueger Dickson LLC, and Simmons Hanly Conroy LLC, becoming one of about 60 counties to do so.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages from Purdue Pharma, Johnson & Johnson, Endo Health Solutions Inc. and subsidiaries of the companies, Erin Dickinson of Crueger Dickinson told reporters at a November news conference in West Bend.
“These companies’ aggressive and fraudulent marketing of prescription opioid painkillers as safe and effacacious for long-term use has led to a drug epidemic in both Wisconsin and around the nation,” Dickinson said.
Corporation Counsel Jeff Wisnicky told the County Board that the firms are pursuing the case on a contingency basis with no direct costs to the counties unless they win.
“This is a classic contingency fee kind of case, wherein if the law firm is successful in there’s some sort of settlement or judgment, then of course they would take any costs out of that settlement or judgment, but should they not be successful then we wouldn’t be responsible for the cost,” Wisnicky said. “Now, just like anything, if something goes off the rails, there could be some costs incurred, but I have to believe that the intent is that we would not incur any costs.”
Wisnicky added that indirect costs, such as staff time, might occur as legal teams investigate the specific damages to Kewaunee County in terms of program costs, law enforcement costs, and other efforts to fight the opioid crisis.
Supervisor Diane Thomas asked if any settlement funds would go to the county’s general fund or to Health and Human Services, which have borne the brunt of the fight thus far.
Wisnickey and County Board Chairman Robert Weidner said it would probably start in the general fund with the Finance Committee discussing how to allocate the money, but the resolution does not address those details.
“That would be a good problem to have,” Weidner said.
The board voted 19-1 to approve the resolution, with Supervisor Chris Rasmussen dissenting.
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Winnebago County Board committee moves forward with opioid litigation
Jan 4, 2018 | WIFR (IL)
By Staff
The Winnebago County Board's Public Safety Committee is moving forward with a lawsuit that could result in more than $10 million for the city and county.
Tonight the committee voted in favor of the opioid litigation. This partnership between the City of Rockford and Winnebago County is to file suit against distributors and manufacturers of opioids.
Many believe these companies are responsible for the growing opioid epidemic in our area. Some board members are skeptical about whether this is the right way to solve the issue.
"Well, I think it's a step in the right direction, you know. Do I think it's the only step in our community? Absolutely not. I think that there should be some personal responsibility take here as well. But, at the end of the day, this stuff is being given out like candy," says Winnebago County Board 8th District Representative Eli Nicolosi.
"We'll become part of a big law suit that we may benefit to help with some of the things that we have and if that's the reason for it, that's one thing. But to say that these people are evil and trying to do it on purpose, that's the part I have trouble with," says Winnebago County Board 20th District Representative Ted Biondo.
This litigation will be voted on in county board next week.
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County joins suit against ‘big pharma’
Jan 4, 2018 | Mining Journal (MI)
By Jaymie Depew
Marquette County will be joining a nationwide lawsuit against big pharmaceutical companies and distributors in response to the opioid epidemic as addiction rates continue to rise across the country.
According to Marquette County Administrator Scott Erbisch, Marquette County was recently contacted by Attorney Timothy Smith, of Smith and Johnson Attorneys, regarding the county’s potential interest in pursuing a lawsuit against U.S. pharmaceutical companies and distributors. It wasn’t immediately clear which companies might be involved in the suit.
The purpose of the lawsuit though, according to Erbisch, would be to seek compensation for money the county has spent to combat the issue.
“If the board chooses to go forward, this would be an individual lawsuit by the county seeking, obviously, reimbursement on our expenses tied to the opioid issue,” Erbisch said. “We’ve met with one person who’s involved with that, Mr. Tim Smith, and he feels very confident with the approach that they’re taking.”
Though a specific amount couldn’t be confirmed, Erbisch told the Marquette County Board at its meeting Wednesday that the county could face costs should the lawsuit be unsuccessful. However, Erbisch said Smith felt very confident the county wouldn’t have to pay anything.
Commissioner Joe Derocha expressed concern over suing pharmaceutical companies rather than questioning the doctors who prescribe the medication.
“I have a couple of problems with this whole thing,” he said. “We know that opioid addiction is a terrible thing. It creates significant problems for the counties and communities around — but suing the company that creates a product to help somebody I think is a little hard to dig into. Shouldn’t the doctors that prescribe them be looked at?”
Commissioner Karen Alholm responded to Derocha, saying that during a meeting with Smith he stated the main issues attorneys want to address is how distributors misrepresent the proper purpose. Alholm said that while opioids are supposed to be used for extreme pain and for cancer patients, many manufacturers introduce them as everyday pain relievers.
“These particular drugs were approved by the (Food and Drug Administration) but for a very limited purpose,” she said.
Marquette County Prosecuting Attorney Matt Wiese called the lawsuit a good idea because “half or more than half” of his charges, along with law enforcement, are drug related.
“My understanding is that the causation would be not so much that they produce an item that was abused, but more that they put these products in the community in violation of FDA regulations,”Wiese said. “They basically thumb their nose at the regulation and put massive amounts of these opioids in the communities. They made them so plentiful that the abuse has been widespread and devastating.”
Even though the lawsuit could cost the county a fee, Wiese said the action would be worth it.
“I know the expert witness fees is an issue but the way these cases are pooled, the cost would be, to my understanding, de minimis and spread amongst, and so not every county would have to litigate but it would be a pool that they would represent,” he said. “Every drug overdose the medical examiner gets involved with, goes through our county and I assisted Ms. (Susan) Vercoe, (Marquette County’s finance manager), to see if they match up with law enforcement reports and we’re talking about $3,000 for the ambulance and the autopsy — not to mention the law enforcement costs and all the other costs associated with just one death.”
Commissioners Bill Nordeen, Stephen Adamini and Johnny DePetro also supported the resolution, with Nordeen stating that the lawsuit would be “worth the risk” and “pointed more at the source.”
Chairman Gerald Corkin called the opioid epidemic one of the largest issues in the county that has to come to an end.
“They’re asking us to join in on a lawsuit against pharmaceuticals for pushing out more of these opioids than they should be through various parts of the state,” Corkin said. “Over the last five years some bad stuff has been going on in this county and people have been making a lot of money doing it. There’s got to be some way to put an end to it.”
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Anne Arundel First MD County To Sue Doctors, Opioid Makers
Jan 4, 2018 | Crofton Patch (MD)
By Deb Belt
Anne Arundel County is the first county in Maryland to sue the makers and distributors of opioids, along with local doctors whom authorities allege over-prescribe the highly addictive drugs that have been cited as a gateway to the abuse of heroin and other narcotics.
"Misleading and deceptive marketing practices and unethical prescribing practices have accelerated the opioid addiction epidemic in Anne Arundel County," said County Executive Steve Schuh on Thursday. "Those who have had a hand in this epidemic must be held accountable.
Despite record investments in education, prevention, and public safety, the opioid crisis in Anne Arundel has steadily gotten worse in recent years, he said. In the first quarter of 2016, drug and alcohol overdose deaths increased more in the county than any other Maryland jurisdiction. Anne Arundel's opioid prescription rate remains above the national average and nearly three times higher than in 1999.
Police spokesman Lt. Ryan Frashure said that Anne Arundel County has so far noted 1,087 overdoses in 2017, with 154 of those fatalities. About 25 cases for the year are still pending a final determination as an overdose death as police wait for toxicology results from the state medical examiner's office.
In comparison, in 2016 the county tallied a total of 934 drug overdoses in 2016, and 119 of those were fatalities, Frashure told Patch.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says in 2016 there were 2,044 drug overdose deaths in Maryland, a rate of 33.2 deaths per 100,000 residents.
Defendants in the county's lawsuit include manufacturers Purdue Pharma, Inc., Teva Pharmaceuticals, Johnson & Johnson, Insys Therapeutics, and Janssen Pharmaceauticals; the companies make Oxycontin, Percocet and Fentanyl. Local physicians William Tham, M.D. of Annapolis, Kofi Shaw-Taylor, M.D., Jackie Syme, M.D. of Gambrills, and Lawrence Vidaver, M.D., of Glen Burnie, and their practices, are also named defendants in the lawsuit.
The Capital-Gazette reports Shaw-Taylor has been indicted as the physician who ran Starlife Wellness Center in Glen Burnie, a reputed "pill mill."
Legal claims against the parties include:
· Public nuisance claims
· False Claims Act claims
· Maryland Consumer Protection Act claims
· Fraudulent and negligent misrepresentation claims
· Unjust enrichment claims
· Gross negligence and negligence claims
The lawsuit will be litigated by Motley Rice, LLC law firm, who will work on a contingency fee basis so there are no immediate costs to taxpayers. Motley Rice will only get paid if the suit recovers money.
Among a growing number in Maryland, Jenna Keefer has struggled with drug addiction, but told Capital News Service in October she was clean and sober after going through the county's "Safe Station" program. In April, Anne Arundel County pulled together resources to create a multidisciplinary effort, opening up police and fire stations in the county to anyone seeking treatment for drug addiction. It teams up law enforcement, the state's attorney's office and a 24-hour crisis team.
The safe station program has already helped at least 186 county residents, according to county police. As of the end of September, 63 percent of those residents had either completed treatment, were still in it, or opted for outpatient services. Police also say there have been over 300 total visits to the stations since its creation.
"After the first month we had more than anticipated, but then from then on it's just kind of exploded," said Jen Corbin, who leads the county's Crisis Response Team. The 24-7 unit gets a call from the fire or police station once someone shows up. They help with the next steps toward treatment.
The latest fatal overdose count by state health officials shows that while prescription drug overdose deaths are down across Maryland and heroin fatalities are relatively flat in recent months, fentanyl is killing more residents than ever.
The rate of fatal drug and alcohol overdoses in the state continues at an epidemic pace — especially for users of fentanyl and the even more lethal carfentanyl — say state officials, who urged users to get into treatment before it's too late. The Maryland Department of Health on Tuesday released data for fatal overdoses for the second quarter of 2017, and the numbers show that opioid-related overdose deaths continue to skyrocket in the state.
From January through June of 2017, there were 1,172 overdose-related deaths in the state, including 799 fentanyl-related deaths. In the first three months of the year, by comparison, there were 550 drug and alcohol overdose-related deaths statewide, including 372 fentanyl-related deaths. During the same six-month period in 2016, 969 Marylanders died from an overdose.
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County considers drug company litigation
Jan 4, 2018 | Valley Courier (CO)
By Jefferson Geiger
Alamosa County may join other counties across the country in a multidistrict litigation against pharmaceutical manufactures and distributors. However, officials are waiting to see how Colorado counties and the Colorado Attorney General's Office act before making a decision.
During the Alamosa County Commissioners' Dec. 20 meeting lawyers Stephen Ochs and Patrick Mika of Ochs Law Firm from Colorado Springs approached the commissioners with the proposition to hire them as counsel for multidistrict litigation (MDL) against eight manufacturers and three distributors of opioids.
Using the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement as a framework, Ochs wants to represent counties so that they can recover past and future public funds while penalizing the companies for negligence and intentional misrepresentation.
"Big pharma was very clever," said Ochs, a retired physician, in December. "They hijacked continuing medical education conferences, professional organizations and professional journals." According to Ochs, their marketing tapped into a social demand for immediate pain relief and caused today's opioid epidemic.
If they hired Ochs, the county's claim will be consolidated with others in Cleveland Ohio for the MDL and will be heard by U.S. District Judge Dan Polster. Ochs estimates that the suit would take roughly three to five years yet the county wouldn't have to pay legal fees unless funds are recovered. Ochs would take 25 percent of recovery funds and cap their legal expenses at 15 percent, essentially leaving the county with 60 cents of each dollar recovered.
"The average cost to the county is $18,000 per addict per year," said Ochs. "On a conservative side last year Alamosa County lost 1.75 million dollars."
The main monetary risk to the county would be if they were the only plaintiff. Then, all attorney fees are on them rather than being distributed among the counties.
At the December meeting no other county had hired counsel. Ochs wished for Alamosa County to come onboard before Jan. 9 to join the plaintiff steering committee.
"If Alamosa will be on that first trench of plaintiffs, the sooner you get in, based on our tobacco experience, the more control and more direction you have in terms of litigation and recovering your damages," said Ochs.
"We're going to bring them to their knees," added Mika. "The only way to change what’s happening to our communities is to hit them in their pocketbooks."
The board decided to hold a work session on Jan. 3 to discuss the issue before the imposed Jan. 9 deadline. Alamosa County Attorney Jason Kelly said this week that since the December meeting Mika told him they signed up Huerfano County and Alamosa County Commissioner Darius Allen said the law firm met with Pueblo County on Wednesday.
If the county chooses to get involved at all, they have to figure out whether to go with private counsel such as Ochs Law Firm or with Colorado's Attorney General's office. Both have their pros and cons in terms of resource strength and monetary outcome.
According to Kelly the AG is currently working on a state-level suit using the Consumer Produce Safety Act.
"One of the advantages with going with the state is that they feel like they'll be able to prevent an early dismissal of the case on motion for summary judgment or anything like that because they'll have been able to gather the necessary documentation," said Kelly on Wednesday.
However, the AG can't represent the county. If the AG pursues a suit, Kelly said it would play out like the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement where the Colorado General Assembly was a client. This means the county would likely see less recovery funds.
"Yes there are avenues for us to get that money, but it is typically competitive," said Kelly. "Whereas if we're a named party perhaps we could control a little bit more. There would probably be stipulations on any sort of settlement that came through. It's probably going to be tied to treatment or different things and we would still have to show our damages. But, that being said, it would be noncompetitive."
Yet Kelly isn't keen on rushing to hire Ochs or any other law firm to file a federal lawsuit before Jan. 9.
"I'm not against hiring outside counsel. I just don't know if right now is the right time to do that," Kelly said. “There may be at some point a deadline to join the MDL but I don't think that's going to happen for some time...I don't think there's any huge benefit to gain by making a decision today."
Alamosa County Commissioner Michael Yohn, saying that he supported it, was the only commissioner to voice his opinion in favor of or against the suit.
"I never thought of going to the manufactures and suing them," Yohn said. "I guess that's one way of doing it and that's where the money is so when you look at it, it makes sense. Without having the money in the picture, the epidemic that we're into now, we have to pursue it any way that we can. The county has to get involved."
Because it was a work session the board made no official motion to hire legal counsel. According to Kelly, the AG office may have a joint meeting with all 64 Colorado counties to discuss the suit in the future.
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CUOMO PROPOSES SUING OPIOID MANUFACTURERS BUT OFFERS FEW DETAILS
Jan 4, 2018 | City & State New York (NY)
By Grace Segers
In his State of the State address, Gov. Andrew Cuomo took aim at the pharmaceutical industry, noting how life expectancy decreased in 2017 for the second year in a row due to an uptick in drug overdoses, particularly opioid-related abuse.
“Unscrupulous distributors developed a $400 billion industry selling opioids, and they were conveniently blind to the consequences of their actions,” Cuomo said. “We will sue them, and we will stop the spread of opioids because too many innocent lives have been lost and the time for action is now, before we lose another single life.”
But he did not explain any legal strategy or what other action, if any, New York will take to stop opioid addiction.
That left other state officials without much information to weigh in on, although some were eager to show their support for holding manufacturers accountable.
In a written statement provided to City & State, a spokesperson for Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said that his office “has been leading the investigation of the opioid industry.” In September, Schneiderman announced at a press conference that 41 state attorneys general had served subpoenas to opioid manufacturers and requested documents from distributors.
“Working with the Governor, we will take enforcement actions against opioid distributors that breached their legal duties to monitor, detect, and report suspicious orders of prescription opioids,” the spokesperson wrote in the statement.
RELATED: Staten Island opioid deaths keep rising
Bill Hammond, director of health policy at the Empire Center, a conservative think tank, said that while he had not yet had time to study the governor’s proposal, and could not speak to how successful possible lawsuits against manufacturers would be, he could see the “big picture” argument these cases would make.
“I think it's been pretty well-established, at least in the early days, these drugs were pitched to providers as being safe – that they weren't going to cause addiction – and that turned out not to be true, as experience later showed,” he said. “So whether you can demonstrate that the people, at the time that they were making those claims, whether they knew they were false or should have known they were false, that would seem to be the crux of the case.”
Assemblyman Richard Gottfried, chairman of the Assembly Health Committee, said in a statement to City & State that he was dedicated to working on this crisis and holding pharmaceutical companies accountable for “inappropriate opioid marketing and distribution.” But he also seemed unclear as to what Cuomo’s proposal to sue manufacturers would entail.
“I look forward to seeing the specifics of Governor Cuomo’s proposals and to working with the Governor, the Attorney General, and the Senate to craft appropriate, enforceable legislation to combat the opioid epidemic,” he wrote in an email to City & State.
The state Legislature has already made combating the opioid crisis a priority, with the state Senate Task Force on Heroin and Opioid Abuse created to examine addiction and produce bills to combat the opioid crisis. In the 2017 legislative session, the Senate passed bills which would have increased penalties on dealers, but failed to pass in the Assembly, which prefers a less punitive approach.
Despite differences in approach between the Senate and Assembly, state Sen. Kemp Hannon, chairman of the Senate Health Committee, said in a November interview with City & State that addressing the crisis remained a priority for the Legislature.
“It still is the major concern in every neighborhood in the state, from Niagara to Riverhead,” he said.
Cuomo’s desire to hold opioid manufacturers accountable may be complicated by ties between drug companies and members of the state Legislature. The USA Today Network reported in 2016 that the Pain Care Forum, a group which includes drug manufacturers and allied advocacy groups, had given $1.2 million to the state Senate Republican Campaign Committee and $560,000 to its Democratic counterpart between 2006 and 2015, and given $53,000 to Hannon and $22,000 to Assembly Democratic Majority Leader Joe Morelle.
When asked whether the donations would affect his approach to crafting policy on the crisis, Hannon pushed back by discussing his legislative record, which includes restricting the number of opioid pills a doctor may prescribe, working to educate doctors on abuse, expanding access to naloxone and helping to found the Senate Task Force on Heroin and Opioid Abuse.
“Suing the drug manufacturers who falsely portrayed opioids as effective and non addictive would help repay for the State and local expenses,” Hannon wrote in a statement to City & State. “Most importantly, it would allow NY to continue the fight against drug addiction.”
Whether lawmakers’ ties to opioid manufacturers will affect their support for Cuomo’s plan to sue depends upon what the governor’s plan actually entails.
“Big corporations own Washington," Cuomo said to applause as he proposed confronting drug companies, "but they don’t own New York.”
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly attributed a statement to Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. The quote was provided by his spokesperson.
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Jan 4, 2018 | The Washington Times
By Alfred S. Regnery
Over 64,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2016 — 21 percent more than 2015. The toll in 2017 is unknown, but is estimated to be higher still. The 2016 figure is over twice the number of all gun-related homicides and suicides, and more than American combat losses during the entire nine-year war in Vietnam. Opioids, the latest deadly trend in the drug world, made up well over half of those deaths, and more than 15,000 fatalities resulted from overdoses of prescribed drugs.
The Trump administration recently declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency, the first time since 2010 that such a designation has been made for any cause, and the first time ever for a drug epidemic, giving victims of opioids more treatment options, among other benefits, and unleashing the vast federal public health and social services apparatus on the problem.
Drug overdose deaths during the cocaine and crack crisis of the 1980s, and the more recent meth epidemic, paled in comparison to death rates today. Crack was largely an inner city-minority phenomenon and the violence that accompanied the crisis reflected, well, the inner city. Today’s crisis draws fewer socio-economic, racial, age or population density lines.
West Virginia, one of the most rural states, has the highest opioid per capita death rate in the nation. Opioid victims range in age from young teens to octogenarians, and are more often white than minority.
While the government’s solution to the crack cocaine crisis included the enactment of strict mandatory minimum sentences and “three strikes and you’re out” laws and to imprison pushers and dealers to long prison terms, the reaction to the opioid crisis is considerably more benign, and some would say more humane.
Opioids include heroin, which is largely imported from Mexico or manufactured domestically in illegal labs, prescription drugs such as OxyContin and others using fentanyl as their base, and a combination of the two — dealers often lace heroin with fentanyl, which can increase its strength by as much as 50 times, making it more lethal than and the cause of tens of thousands of overdose deaths.
Drug dealing is, by definition, a violent crime, and the violence that accompanies illegal drug dealing is huge. Because of the nature of drug trafficking enterprises and their attendant violent enforcement, there are plenty of criminals who need to feel the sting of prosecution and incarceration.
Earlier this year, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, vacating soft on crime policies of the Obama/Holder era, instructed his federal prosecutors to charge drug distributors and other violent criminals appropriately — meaning they could again charge the most serious readily provable offense.
Those charges can, and should, include those involving mandatory minimum sentences of 20 years to life for manufacturing, distributing, or possessing narcotics with intent to distribute and where the result is death or serious bodily injury. Those laws were enacted by Congress, often at the urging of inner-city leaders who saw their neighborhoods devastated by the scourge of the drug trade.
The laws were nothing if not effective — tens of thousands of violent organizers, distributors, enforcers and accomplices received decades-long mandatory minimum sentences, and more than a few remain in prison to this day.
The Justice Department has awarded over $70 million during 2017 to help fight the opioid crisis nationwide and set up drug courts. It has directed U.S. Attorneys to aggressively prosecute drug dealers, and just last week established a new office to help oversee the implementation of Justice Department initiatives and coordinate with state and local law enforcement.
Violent drug dealers are not the only ones being prosecuted. As the number of drug-related deaths escalates, law enforcement officials are under growing pressure to prosecute and lock up not only criminal drug dealers, but also doctors, pharmaceutical company officials, and even friends and family of the victims if they’ve aided in an overdose death.
The Wall Street Journal recently reported that in addition to drug dealers, “prosecutors are also sweeping up low-level dealers who are trying to support their habit, as well as friends, and family members of overdose victims who bought or shared drugs with the deceased.”
Civil lawsuits may be on the agenda as well. In his announcement making the crisis a national health emergency, President Trump declared that the federal government would be “bringing some very major lawsuits against people and companies that have been hurting our communities.”
Ironically, as the criminal justice reform movement advocates repeal of the tough-on-crime mandatory-minimum laws passed during the 1980s crack-cocaine crisis, prosecutors are using the same statutes to lock up those responsible for today’s drug deaths. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that some 1200 drug-death prosecutions were initiated in 2016, often resulting in sentences stretching to 20 years or more.
It is unlikely that the opioid crisis will be brought under control in the near future. Prevention and compassionate treatment are important, but even more crucial is for law enforcement to use the proven tools it has at its disposal to prosecute those responsible for the deaths of thousands of Americans.
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Jan 4, 2018 | WBAL (NBC)
By Baltimore, MD
Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/31718408?token=b64c475c-8222-4751-8b21-6bf8df22a102
Rough Transcript: anne arundel county is taking aim at opioid manufacturers. -- manufacturers, distributors, and doctors who write too many scripts. the county filed a lawsuit against 5 pharmaceutical companies and 4 doctors, claiming their deceptive marketing and unethical prescribing accelerated the opioid crisis. the county executive says those who've h a hand in the epidemic need to be held accountable. last year 154 people died of , overdoses in anne arundel county. that's up from 119 in 2016.
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Jan 4, 2018 | WNC8 (NEWS8)
By Washington D.C.
Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/31718396?token=b64c475c-8222-4751-8b21-6bf8df22a102
Rough Transcript: in the national opioid crisis - anne arundel county is now the first maryland jurisdiction to file a lawsuit over the addictive drugs. the county is suing opioid manufacturers and distributors -- as well as four local doctors accused of over-prescribing. county officials say misleading and deceptive marketing by drugmakers has accelerated the opioid crisis. anne arundel's opioid prescription rate is above the national average.
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Jan 5, 2018 | WJBF (ABC)
By Augusta, GA
Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/31718381?token=b64c475c-8222-4751-8b21-6bf8df22a102
Rough Transcript: with a growing opioid epidemic in the country, drug experts say they see more usage around the holidays.. last month south carolina governor henry mcmaster declared a public health emergency. the top attorney in the state says he knows it's a problem.. and he's working to fix it. eryn rogers has more nat: 22:07 the statistics are alarming and they're growing. in the last year.. opioid overdose deaths grew by 7 percent.. claiming the lives of 550 south carolinians. alan wilson/ sc attorney general 21:58 - -since i've been elected attorney general, more than 3000 people have died from opioid and or heroin overdose. the attorney general says last year.. south carolina was ranked 9th in the country for opioid prescription rates.. with greenville county having some of the most in the state. 22:13- -there are more opioid prescriptions than there are people in the state of south carolina in a given year. it is a heavily prescribed drug. 4:40 AMover the summer.. the attorney general filed a lawsuit against purdue pharma.. a maker of oxycotin... to help fight the opioid epidemic. 26:26- it's just one tool that we have he says outside of the lawsuit.. the epidemic is expensive. 32:00- it costs the state ofouth carolina hundreds of millions of dollars over a period of time. he says taxpayers.. pay for the agenices that monitor opioids.. costs associated with law enforcement. and says his office has dedicated a lot of time and effort to combating the problem. 01:41:00- there are a lot of people both in this office and around the country looking at this issue vigorously, and our hope is that we'll be able to turn the tide on the addiction crisis that we're suffering right now. barclay: several motions have been made in regards to the lawsuit against purdue pharma. last month a judge designated the case as "complex" which could speed up the process.
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Jan 5, 2018 | KTBS (ABC)
By Shreveport, LA
Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/31718350?token=b64c475c-8222-4751-8b21-6bf8df22a102
Rough Transcript: it's an issue facing millions of drug users and their families 7:36 AMbut what can be done to stop the opioid epidemic facing our country. well if you arklatex areas are joining a class action lawsuit of more than 200 cities and counties there. all suing the manufacturers in distributors of the opioiddrugs. kate to be a series andre a fitting in studio with the details on this lawsuit and how it could help. good morning on trap. good morning. william harrison county is intact five million calmly and arkansas sitting in shreveport la joined a class action lawsuit? the home to reduce the abuse of opioidpainkillers. has been around for quite some time now epidemic proportions. the centers for disease control and preventn estimates that each day 91 americans die day 91 americans die from overdosing on opioids. so this lawsuit has two worlds governments want to try to stop the flooding in these pills into communities and they often want to seek compensation to help plaintiffs recouped many lost finding the epidemic. many of the lawsuit is also home to force the drug makers to change their marketing tactics which they argue are deceptive believing drug makers need to make it abundantly how addictive these. can be a few weeks ago in december port city council approved the final passage of a resolution authorizing a retainer agreement with thennapolis showed nick plo fee and kath and carter apl fee. they will serve as doing outside legal counsel in the opioid lawsuit nate no are counting also followed suit and join the fight all we could. somethneeds to be done and drew. we told them tens of millions of people still on these opioid drugs in addicted to them. we appreciate that live update hopefully they get some relief in october of 2017 president donald trump declared the opioid epidemic of health emergency but no additional funding has been available for states.
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Jan 4, 2018 | WSOC (ABC)
By Charlotte, NC
Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/31718397?token=b64c475c-8222-4751-8b21-6bf8df22a102
Rough Transcript: mecklenburg county's lawsuit against opioid manufacturers is not expected to cost us anything. they'll be bringing cases before a judge in cleveland. the attorney would get 25% of the damages if they win the case. if they lose, the county is protected.
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