Preview Newsletter
Opioid Litigation Daily Media Report - 2/21/18
-
ER Reduces Opioid Use By More Than Half With Dry Needles, Laughing Gas
Feb 20, 2018 | NPR
By Hansi Lo Wang
One of the places many people are first prescribed opioids is a hospital emergency room. But in one of the busiest ERs in the U.S., doctors are relying less than they used to on oxycodone, Percocet, Vicodin and other opioids to ease patients' pain. -
Don't blame doctors for the opioid crisis (Opinion)
Feb 20, 2018 | Delaware News Journal
By Janine Maichle-Mergenthaler
Yes, the overdose epidemic is irrefutable, but it is driven by the illicit use of drugs. -
Big Pharma and blood money (Letter to the Editor)
Feb 21, 2018 | The News Herald (NC)
By Orlando Davidson
Kudos to The News Herald for its excellent reporting regarding the lawsuit brought by Burke County against the Big Pharma opioid drug dealers. The "industry response" is borderline insane. “The misuse and abuse of prescription opioids is a complex public health challenge that requires a collaborative and systemic response that engages all stakeholders,” wrote the head lobbyist for the drug companies. “…the idea that distributors are responsible for the number of opioid prescriptions written defies common sense and lacks understanding of how the pharmaceutical supply chain actually works…” -
Minnesota Renews Its Push for Tax Drug Manufacturers on Opioid Prescriptions
Feb 21, 2018 | Addiction Now
By Ryan Beitler
Governor Mark Dayton of Minnesota announced on Wednesday a renewed legislative proposal to tax drug manufactures opioid prescriptions to help fund treatment. -
Goucher Poll: More than half of Marylanders know someone who’s been addicted to opioids
Feb 21, 2018 | Washington Post
By Overtta Wiggins
More than half of Marylanders say they personally know someone who has been addicted to opioids, according to a Goucher College poll released Wednesday that also found strong support for imposing term limits on state lawmakers and raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour. -
Meet The Attys At The Opioid MDL's Negotiating Table
Feb 20, 2018 | Law360
By Jeff Overley & Emily Field
The fate of multidistrict litigation over the opioid crisis now rests heavily with 18 elite attorneys who have been tasked with negotiating a settlement in the historic case. -
Hopedale joins litigation against opioid companies
Feb 20, 2018 | Wicked Local Hopedale (MA)
By Christopher Gavin
Looking to get ahead of and recoup expenses as the opioid epidemic grips the region, selectmen on Tuesday signed into a lawsuit against drug manufacturers and distributors. -
Cumberland to join opioid lawsuit
Feb 21, 2018 | Cumberland Times-News (MD)
By Greg Larry
City officials are selecting a law firm to represent them in a mass lawsuit against large pharmaceutical companies that allegedly contributed to the opioid epidemic. -
County readies for opioid lawsuit
Feb 20, 2018 | Effingham Daily News (IL)
By Graham Milldrum
The Effingham County Board completed the groundwork Tuesday to sue companies that distribute opioids. -
St. Joseph County joins lawsuit against opioid manufacturers, distributors
Feb 21, 2018 | South Bend Tribune (IN)
By Ted Booker
St. Joseph County commissioners unanimously voted Tuesday to join numerous Indiana counties and cities in a federal lawsuit against opioid manufacturers and distributors. -
Greenville County hires attorney for possible lawsuit against opioid manufacturers
Feb 20, 2018 | Greenville News (SC)
By Anna B. Mitchell & Nikie Mayo
Greenville County has hired Spartanburg attorney John White and his team of litigators to investigate the impact of the national opioid epidemic on local citizens — and whether that merits a lawsuit against big pharma. -
Upstate counties look to sue over opioid crisis
Feb 20, 2018 | WSPA (SC)
By Staff
Greenville County Council unanimously voted to hire a lawyer to look into the impact of the opioid epidemic on residents. -
Fannin County enters into opioid litigation
Feb 20, 2018 | Fannin FYN (GA)
By Natalie Kissel
The Fannin County Board of Commissioners (BOC) voted to enter into litigation involving opioids and the impact that these drugs have on Fannin County. -
Bainbridge mulls joining opioid lawsuit
Feb 20, 2018 | The Post Searchlight (GA)
By Jill Holoway
Bainbridge City Council had the first of many discussions regarding an opioid litigation suit Tuesday night. -
St. Albans taking steps to fight opioid epidemic
Feb 20, 2018 | WSAZ (WV)
By Staff
The city of St. Albans is taking action against the opioid epidemic. -
Counties association plans to go forward with lawsuit
Feb 20, 2018 | Lonokenews.net (AR)
By Max Bryan
Officials with the Association of Arkansas Counties say that a recent marketing decision by Purdue Pharma will not affect their statewide lawsuit against the company and other opioid manufacturers. -
Clark County to sue pharmaceutical firms over opioids
Feb 20, 2018 | The Columbian (WA)
By Jake Thomas
Citing the drain on public resources, the Clark County Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to join the growing number of local jurisdictions taking legal action against pharmaceutical companies accused of deceptively pushing addictive opioid medications. -
Nowata Commissioners Approve Opioid Lawsuit Contract
Feb 20, 2018 | Bartlesville Radio (OK)
By Max Gross
The Nowata County Commissioners approved a contract for an opioid lawsuit at its Tuesday morning meeting. The meeting was moved back a day due to the observance of the president’s day holiday. -
Local 33 News Today
Feb 21, 2018 | WVLA (NBC)
By Baton Rouge, LA
Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/32852498?token=b073d4c6-2e8f-431c-a0d5-e25ff121a965 -
Good Morning New Orleans
Feb 21, 2018 | WGNO (ABC)
By New Orleans, LA
Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/32852484?token=b073d4c6-2e8f-431c-a0d5-e25ff121a965 -
9 News This Morning
Feb 21, 2018 | WAFB (CBS)
By Baton Rouge, LA
Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/32852493?token=b073d4c6-2e8f-431c-a0d5-e25ff121a965 -
News 12 This Morning at 5:30am
Feb 21, 2018 | KSLA (CBS)
By Shreveport, LA
Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/32853511?token=b073d4c6-2e8f-431c-a0d5-e25ff121a965 -
Fox 8 Morning Edition at 6am
Feb 21, 2018 | WVUE (Fox)
By New Orleans, LA
Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/32852496?token=b073d4c6-2e8f-431c-a0d5-e25ff121a965 -
Spectrum News
Feb 21, 2018 | SPNB (Spectrum News)
By Buffalo, NY
Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/32852479?token=b073d4c6-2e8f-431c-a0d5-e25ff121a965 -
WSAZ NewsChannel 3 Sunrise at 5:30a
Feb 21, 2018 | WSAZ (NBC)
By Charleston, WV
Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/32858198?token=b073d4c6-2e8f-431c-a0d5-e25ff121a965 -
WYFF News 4 at 6am
Feb 21, 2018 | WYFF (NBC)
By Greenville, SC
Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/32853006?token=b073d4c6-2e8f-431c-a0d5-e25ff121a965 -
12 Eyewitness News This Morning
Feb 21, 2018 | WNAC (Fox)
By Providence, RI
Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/32853512?token=b073d4c6-2e8f-431c-a0d5-e25ff121a965 -
Today In Alabama
Feb 21, 2018 | WSFA (NBC)
By Montgomery, AL
Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/32858693?token=b073d4c6-2e8f-431c-a0d5-e25ff121a965 -
FOX8 News
Feb 21, 2018 | WGHP (Fox)
By Greensboro, NC
Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/32858698?token=b073d4c6-2e8f-431c-a0d5-e25ff121a965 -
Louisiana Attorney General to take control of opioid lawsuit
Feb 20, 2018 | Associated Press
By Melinda Deslatte
Louisiana's attorney general will take charge of a state lawsuit against drug manufacturers, under a deal announced Tuesday that ends a dispute with the governor's office over who controls litigation accusing the companies of worsening opioid abuse in Louisiana. -
Governor and Attorney General announce coordinated effort against opioid manufacturers
Feb 20, 2018 | KADN (LA)
By J. Arnold
Today, Governor John Bel Edwards and Attorney General Jeff Landry have agreed to coordinate efforts in the State of Louisiana’s litigation against opioid manufacturers. -
Gov., AG announce joint effort in suit against opioid manufacturers
Feb 20, 2018 | WAFB (LA)
By Staff
Putting aside political differences, Gov. John Bel Edwards and Attorney General Jeff Landry have agreed to join forces in Louisiana’s litigation against opioid manufacturers. -
AG Jeff Landry's office to represent state in opioid suit filed by Gov. John Bel Edwards' administration
Feb 20, 2018 | The Advocate (LA)
By Joe Gyan Jr.
The oft-feuding Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards and Republican Attorney General Jeff Landry agreed Tuesday that Landry's office will represent the state in the Edwards administration's opioid lawsuit against 17 pharmaceutical companies.
Commentary and FYIs
MDL
Northeast (MA, MD)
Midwest (IL, IN)
Southeast (SC, GA, WV, AR)
Northwest (WA)
Southwest (OK)
Broadcast Media Coverage
Louisiana Suit
-
ER Reduces Opioid Use By More Than Half With Dry Needles, Laughing Gas
Feb 20, 2018 | NPR
By Hansi Lo Wang
One of the places many people are first prescribed opioids is a hospital emergency room. But in one of the busiest ERs in the U.S., doctors are relying less than they used to on oxycodone, Percocet, Vicodin and other opioids to ease patients' pain.
In an unusual program designed to help stem the opioid epidemic, the emergency department at St. Joseph's University Medical Center in Paterson, N.J., has been exploring alternative painkillers and methods. That strategy has led to a 58 percent drop in the ER's opioid prescriptions in the program's first year, according to numbers provided by St. Joseph's Healthcare System's chair of emergency medicine, Dr. Mark Rosenberg.
"There is a complete change in philosophy, a complete change in culture in the department," says Rosenberg, who launched the Alternatives to Opiates program in 2016 with Dr. Alexis LaPietra, the medical director of pain management in the emergency department.
Last year, the program was highlighted during a visit to the hospital by the chair of President Trump's commission to study the national opioid crisis, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
Patients are experiencing the shift in care for painful symptoms related to various diagnoses, including kidney stones, broken bones and muscle spasms.
It was a muscle spasm and a deep bruise from a subsequent fall that brought Jonathan Milton, a 43-year-old forklift driver from Jersey City, N.J., hobbling into St. Joseph's ER one morning in January.
A couple nights earlier, Milton was at home, lying on the floor and watching TV. He accidentally fell asleep on his left side. When he woke up the next morning, he could barely get up. From his left hip down to his leg, he says, the spasm left him feeling "like somebody just came into that room, just kicked me and kept moving." Later at work, when he tried to get up into the forklift, he fell.
"I was so much in pain — tears were coming out my eyes," he said as he waited in a hospital chair for more instructions from his doctors.
Milton has come into this ER in pain before.
"I did see from your visit you were here for that shoulder sprain," said LaPietra, after checking the hospital's records about Milton's 2011 visit. "You did get opioids. You got Percocet."
Back then, opioid painkillers were part of the emergency department's first line of offense against pain. Today, opioids are not banned, but LaPietra says sometimes the best way to reduce the pain from a muscle spasm, for example, is dry needling of a trigger point, not a pill.
"Because it's so contained, it's hard for that medication to actually get into the spasm," she explains, adding that the dry needle can break up the muscle tissue and mechanically stop the spasm and the pain — with no medication needed. The dry needling is followed with a small injection of a local anesthetic for the soreness caused by the needle.
The ER team at St. Joseph's employs a number of other pain-relieving strategies, too: using patches of lidocaine (a non-opioid painkiller); ultrasound to find nerves so they can inject numbing agents; laughing gas for patients to breathe in through a mask, and even a harpist to roam the halls to soothe patients, who are then often sent home with instructions to use ibuprofen, acetaminophen or a warm compress rather than opioids.
"We have to go back to times when things were a little more simple," LaPietra says. "Those easy, at-home techniques — good patient education, really — they help a lot with some of that pain that patients have to deal with when they go home."
But what may sound like common sense now — in light of the increased awareness of how addictive opioids can be — still requires a major culture shift among ER doctors who have prescribed these pills for years.
"It took a little bit of getting used to," says Dr. Ninad Shroff, an attending physician in St. Joseph's ER. "I've been doing this for about 20 years, so for me, it was a big change."
Two years into the alternatives-to-opioids program, however, Shroff says during some shifts in the ER, where he mainly treats bumps, bruises and other musculoskeletal injuries, he doesn't prescribe a single opioid. He still finds that "unbelievable," he says.
Rosenberg, who runs the ER, says doctors at other hospitals nearby are noticing the shift at St. Joseph's. He says he's been asked, "Why are all the drug users from your area coming to my emergency department?"
"It's because they're not going to get opioids at our emergency department unless they're absolutely needed," Rosenberg says.
One challenge his program has had to work through is the cost of using alternatives to opioids. A few times, doctors had to work with pharmacists to find more affordable alternatives to the alternatives. For example, instead of prescribing lidocaine patches for patients to put on at home, doctors have switched to lidocaine ointment or cream, which is often covered by insurers.
"The insurance companies don't embrace all the alternative treatments and instead would rather frequently have us prescribe opioids because they tend to be inexpensive and readily available," he says.
Other emergency departments have rolled out alternatives to opioids at a smaller scale. But the model that St. Joseph's has developed is now being copied at other facilities, including some in the UCHealth system in Colorado.
"A lot of people now are very sensitive to the opioid epidemic," says Dr. Thomas Brabson, chairman of emergency services at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City, N.J., where he launched a similar opioid-alternative program in 2016.
"The pleasant feeling of the opioids was something that people presumed was what the patients wanted, and that would help with your customer service scores," Brabson explains, adding that now more patients are asking physicians not to prescribe any opioids.
It's a change in expectations about the painkillers that you also hear from patients.
"Don't give me that," says Milton, the forklift driver with a muscle spasm. "I'd rather just keep dealing with the Motrin or the Advil."
For his shoulder sprain back in 2011, doctors at St. Joseph's gave Milton a dose of Percocet in the ER and more pills to take home. But during his recent visit, Dr. Jessica Lim put a patch of lidocaine on his left side and told him to take Motrin and Tylenol and to stretch at home.
"We were considering giving you a muscle relaxer," Lim explained to Milton, "and I know you don't like that feeling. So we're not going to give it to you. This is even more on you to do the work yourself at home, and I know a lot of patients don't like hearing that."
But Milton was OK with her advice — and glad to leave the ER with no opioids.
-
Don't blame doctors for the opioid crisis (Opinion)
Feb 20, 2018 | Delaware News Journal
By Janine Maichle-Mergenthaler
Yes, the overdose epidemic is irrefutable, but it is driven by the illicit use of drugs.
It is important to understand that the opioid crisis is not the same as the overdose crisis. One has to do with addiction rates and the other with death rates. Addiction rates are not rising much, if at all, except perhaps among middle-class whites.
Hmmmm.
Drug overdose is the leading cause of death for Americans under 50. But drug overdoses that include opioids (about 63 percent) are most often caused by a combination of drugs (or drugs and alcohol) and most often include illegal drugs (heroin).
When prescription drugs are involved, methadone and oxycontin are at the top of the list, and these drugs are most often acquired and used illicitly.
Why is our government and almost everybody screaming that we must stop doctors from prescribing opioids? Yes, there was an upsurge in the prescribing of opioids over the past 30 years, but this was a response to an under-prescription crisis.
Severe and chronic pain were poorly addressed and grossly under-treated for most of the 20th century. Policies began to ease in the 1970's. The cause? An opioid scare campaign not much different from what is happening now.
A book that is worthwhile reading is "Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opioid Epidemic," by Sam Quinnones.
Yes, there were and still are doctors who prescribe or prescribed opioids too generously, and yes, some were motivated solely for profit. This, however, is a small part of the big picture.
Mainstream media does not bother to distinguish between legitimate prescriptions of opioid pain pills and the diverting or stealing of pain pills for illicit use. The statistics that are reported are skewed, confusing, and lack important measurable data.
Why not make the true statement that the majority of the abuse of prescription pain pills is not by those for whom they were prescribed? Also, how about distinguishing street drugs (heroin) from pain pills?
And finally, experts agree that fentanyl is driving the overdose epidemic. Fentanyl is much, much stronger than heroin, so drug dealers either lace the heroin or replace it with fentanyl.
But because fentanyl is a pharmaceutical and prescribed for severe pain, mainstream media just lumps it in as a painkiller, no matter how the drug reaches its users.
Doctors, not politicians. journalists, or those of us who are screaming and uninformed are the ones to decide what patients need. The majority of doctors are ethical, responsible, and conscientious. Let them do their job.
An important fact to remember is that addiction is not caused by drug availability but by psychological and/or economic suffering, especially in childhood. Case in point: Alcohol availability has not turned me into an alcoholic.
Our country is at or near the bottom of the world's record on child welfare and poverty. Does it surprise anyone that we have an addiction problem?
Stop blaming it on the doctors.
Janine Maichle-Mergenthaler ia a Registered Nurse licensed in Delaware and Pennsylvania with 21 years of hospital-based adult medical-surgical experience and 18 years of law firm experience as a medical negligence nurse paralegal.
-
Big Pharma and blood money (Letter to the Editor)
Feb 21, 2018 | The News Herald (NC)
By Orlando Davidson
Kudos to The News Herald for its excellent reporting regarding the lawsuit brought by Burke County against the Big Pharma opioid drug dealers. The "industry response" is borderline insane. “The misuse and abuse of prescription opioids is a complex public health challenge that requires a collaborative and systemic response that engages all stakeholders,” wrote the head lobbyist for the drug companies. “…the idea that distributors are responsible for the number of opioid prescriptions written defies common sense and lacks understanding of how the pharmaceutical supply chain actually works…”
Wow. Human beings don’t write like this; only a team of a lawyers in a fancy office somewhere far removed from the death and suffering the opioid drug industry is causing in our cities and towns can pull off such nonsense. Meanwhile, the "dealers" will continue to rake in their millions in blood money. Shame on them.
Very disappointing that our Senator Richard Burr receives more campaign contributions from the drug industry than any of his Senate colleagues.
-
Minnesota Renews Its Push for Tax Drug Manufacturers on Opioid Prescriptions
Feb 21, 2018 | Addiction Now
By Ryan Beitler
Governor Mark Dayton of Minnesota announced on Wednesday a renewed legislative proposal to tax drug manufactures opioid prescriptions to help fund treatment.
Governor Dayton, a Democrat, cited rising opioid fatalities as one reason that the bill should be passed.
The state is one of at least 13 that are considering an opioid prescription tax on drug manufacturers in recent years to help pay for the treatment, research, education, and other resources for the opioid epidemic. Although none of these bills have passed, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, states hope that they will help mitigate the fallout from the opioid crisis.
Dayton’s proposal would put a one-cent tax on drug makers for each milligram per active ingredient found in a prescription pain pill, generating an estimated $20 million each year for prevention, policing, emergency response, and treatment.
The Governor blamed “special corporate interests” for obstructing a similar proposal last year.
He also gave a statement when announcing the policy.
“We must take decisive action in this legislative session to reduce abuses and to ensure that all Minnesotans suffering from these addictions receive the treatment and support they need,” he said.
The effort comes during a growing number of states and countries suing opioid presciption manufacturers to make up the costs of a worsening problem. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in December that the U.S. rate of drug overdose deaths grew 21 percent in 2016 from the prior year.
Minnesota had 395 deaths that year, an 18 percent increase from 2015.
The Pharmaceutical Research Manufacturers of America said the legislation could help provide money for developing non-opioid painkillers and medication-assisted addiction treatments.
Governor Dayton’s proposal is part of a larger effort to increase treatment, boost access to overdose medications, and enforce laws. The bill will be debated in the legislative session beginning Tuesday February 20th.
-
Goucher Poll: More than half of Marylanders know someone who’s been addicted to opioids
Feb 21, 2018 | Washington Post
By Overtta Wiggins
More than half of Marylanders say they personally know someone who has been addicted to opioids, according to a Goucher College poll released Wednesday that also found strong support for imposing term limits on state lawmakers and raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour.
The finding that 52 percent have direct ties to opioid abuse illustrates the growing scope of a crisis that was declared a state of emergency last year by Gov. Larry Hogan (R) and was a major focus of the 2017 legislative session. A Washington Post-University of Maryland poll in late 2015 found that nearly 30 percent of Marylanders had a close friend or relative who was addicted.
The Goucher Poll found that all segments of the population are affected by opioid use and that a majority of Marylanders think that the issue is a major problem and that users need drug treatment to overcome their addictions.
“It doesn’t have to do with race, gender or even geography,” said Mileah Kromer, director of the Sarah T. Hughes Field Politics Center at Goucher College. “People get that this is a serious public health concern. And it cuts across party lines. Democrats and Republicans say it’s a major problem, they’ve all been affected by it, which says to me that there could be a bipartisan solution or a bipartisan way to address it.”
Fifty-eight percent of white respondents say they know someone who has been addicted, while 45 percent of black respondents are connected to someone with an opioid addiction.
The percentages of men and women who know an addict are nearly the same, at 53 percent and 51 percent, respectively. But the poll shows that the crisis has affected more Republicans than Democrats. Nearly two-thirds of Republicans say they know someone who is addicted, while 50 percent of independents and 47 percent of Democrats say they are connected to someone addicted to opioids.
The poll, taken Feb. 12 to Feb. 17, asked 800 Marylanders about their positions on several issues being considered by the General Assembly, including funding for education and public transportation, and a measure that would ban tackle football for children younger than 14.
Goucher released a different portion of the poll Tuesday that focused on Hogan’s performance. It found that Hogan is maintaining high approval ratings as he seeks reelection, vying to become Maryland’s first Republican governor to win a second term in 60 years.
Sixty-one percent of respondents say they like the job Hogan is doing, which is nearly the same as Goucher’s findings in September. But the poll also found that Marylanders are divided over whether they would vote for Hogan for reelection. Forty-seven percent say they are leaning toward or would definitely vote for him, while 43 percent say they are leaning toward or would definitely vote for another candidate.
More than half the respondents say the state is spending too little on public transportation. Even more, 71 percent, say more needs to be spent on education.
Both issues show a partisan divide. Fifty-one percent of Republicans and 81 percent of Democrats say the state spends too little on education. And 30 percent of Republicans say the state is not spending enough on public transit, compared with 63 percent of Democrats.
Marylanders are nearly split over a proposal being considered in the General Assembly that would ban tackle football for children under 14. Forty-five percent say they support a ban, while 49 percent say they are against prohibiting kids from playing tackle football. The legislation was introduced this year by Del. Terri L. Hill (D-Howard), a physician who has raised concerns about concussions in young children. It would apply only to publicly operated fields.
The poll finds that most Marylanders approve of the performance of the General Assembly, but even more would support term limits for state lawmakers. Last month, Hogan proposed legislation that would limit state lawmakers to two terms in office. The bill is expected to die in committee.
“It’s no different from what we see nationwide,” Kromer said, noting that most Americans support imposing term limits on Congress. “It’s one of those ideas that are difficult to legislate.”
Another popular idea, especially among Democrats, that is being considered by the legislature — but is not expected to pass — is an effort to raise Maryland’s minimum wage to $15 an hour. Three out of four respondents in the poll say they support the pay increase. The percentage jumps to 84 percent among Democrats.
“It’s one of those things where although the public support is there, it takes a lot to get it over the finish line,” Kromer said.
The Goucher Poll has a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points.
-
Meet The Attys At The Opioid MDL's Negotiating Table
Feb 20, 2018 | Law360
By Jeff Overley & Emily Field
The fate of multidistrict litigation over the opioid crisis now rests heavily with 18 elite attorneys who have been tasked with negotiating a settlement in the historic case.
The negotiators, who were chosen earlier this month, are split into two camps: seven attorneys representing local governments that allege grievous financial harm from the opioid crisis, and 11 attorneys representing opioid manufacturers and distributors. Their assignment is daunting: broker a quick and meaningful deal that earmarks money for health care and law enforcement, while also helping to curb opioid prescribing and abuse.
Here, Law360 presents the names and faces of the negotiators, along with details about some of their biggest cases and notable achievements. -
Hopedale joins litigation against opioid companies
Feb 20, 2018 | Wicked Local Hopedale (MA)
By Christopher Gavin
Looking to get ahead of and recoup expenses as the opioid epidemic grips the region, selectmen on Tuesday signed into a lawsuit against drug manufacturers and distributors.
The board’s unanimous vote places the town among a growing list of municipalities across the country that are banding together in tort litigation that seeks to compensate them for money spent fighting the opioid crisis, from Narcan to public safety and education efforts.
“I think everyone should recognize that this is not an opportunity to chase an ambulance and get some money. This is really an opportunity for us to get in front of what some of the costs associated with the opioid crisis are to our community specifically, but (also) as a combined case to this region in general,” said Board of Selectmen Chairman Thomas Wesley.
“It’s a scourge that’s taking the country unfortunately by storm.”
The Massachusetts Opioid Litigation Attorneys, a consortium of local and national law firms, are bringing the case against opioid distributors McKesson Corporation, Cardinal Health, Inc. and AmerisourceBergen and manufacturers Purdue Pharmaceuticals, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Endo Health Solutions, Cephalon, Inc., and Allergan, according to Mark Reich, an attorney at KP Law, Hopedale’s Town Counsel.
Reich, whose firm is a member of the Massachusetts Opioid Litigation Attorneys, said the lawsuit is one of the few ways cities and towns can be active in a root cause of the drug crisis.
The case is similar to litigation brought against tobacco companies in the 1990s, he said.
“The goal of this litigation is to try and...stop any behaviors that are anywhere from unethical to illegal, but also to have those who have perpetrated those acts be responsible and held accountable in an area of restitution,” Wesley said, adding that he was proud to sign the paperwork.
The town will not pay a cost to join the lawsuit, according to Reich, who said attorneys are only paid if a settlement – the cost of each municipality’s opioid-related expenses – is reached.
Of that money, attorneys would charge a 25 percent fee, he said.
Selectmen said they believe Hopedale is the first town in the Milford area to sign onto such a case.
“I’m definitely in favor of it,” Selectman Louis Arcudi III said.
Earlier this month, Selectman Brian Keyes said the town’s Opioid Task Force discussed having surrounding towns come together in the lawsuit, and added that he would like to see Hopedale lead by example.
-
Cumberland to join opioid lawsuit
Feb 21, 2018 | Cumberland Times-News (MD)
By Greg Larry
City officials are selecting a law firm to represent them in a mass lawsuit against large pharmaceutical companies that allegedly contributed to the opioid epidemic.
News of the proposed lawsuit was disclosed Tuesday at the regular meeting of the mayor and City Council at City Hall.
The council voted unanimously to give city attorney Michael Cohen the authority to choose between two law firms for representation in the suit. Cohen will choose between the Florida-based Levin Papantonio P.A. and Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP, which has law offices across the U.S.
Similar to a class action lawsuit, the action is known as a mass tort or multi-district tort litigation. Municipalities and county governments impacted by the opioid crisis across the United States are participating in the suits.
“We hope this litigation will have the desired effect,” said Cohen, “that is to make resources available to local governments to address what has become a nationwide crisis.”
Cohen said the law firms reached out to the local municipalities.
“Both of these firms solicited Allegany County, Cumberland and the city of Frostburg to retain them for purposes of instituting litigation against prescription opiate manufacturers and distributors,” said Cohen. “Over the course of recent weeks (Allegany) county attorney Bill Rudd and I have met with representatives of each of the firms. We also independently vetted the firms to check on their bonafides. We believe each firm has the required expertise and experience to provide competent representation.”
Cohen said the firms will charge 25 percent of any award plus cost from the municipalities’ 75 percent. However, if the municipalities are unsuccessful in their lawsuit, they will pay nothing.
“The nice thing about this is there is no obligation to reimburse,” said Cohen. “If there is no recovery, the law firms eat the costs.”
Cohen said there are hundreds of local governments joining the lawsuit.
“The suits have been largely filed in federal court,” said Cohen. “All of the federally filed cases have been transferred over to the northern district of Ohio so they can be jointly administered up to the trial stage. Of course, if the cases are settled, then there will not be a trial.”
Cohen said the tort claims are against the distributors and manufacturers of prescription opiates like OxyContin.
“The theory against the distributors is they failed to report suspicious activity regarding orders of controlled dangerous substances and orders of unusual size, frequency or pattern. There is a requirement that such suspicious orders be reported under federal law,” said Cohen.
According to Cohen, the large profits made by big pharma likely contributed to their failures.
“They (big pharma) did not heed the DEA warning,” said Cohen. “They falsely advertised the risks of addiction. Of course we know there is a very real risk of addiction.”
Cohen said the subsequent addiction to narcotic pain medication would often become expensive for the user, who often turns to heroin and Fentanyl.
Some pharmaceutical companies targeted for the litigation may include Purdue, Endo, Allergan, Teva, Johnson & Johnson, and Janssen.
Cohen compared the pending lawsuits to the cases involving asbestos and tobacco.
Cohen said the lawsuits are not state-sponsored, but instead would be controlled by the local governments. If litigates are awarded compensation, they would likely decide what costs to cover and what treatments and law enforcement’s expenses to apply dollars toward.
Jeff Rhodes, city administrator, said he is supportive of the mass tort.
“I have more of a layman’s view,” said Rhodes. “It is sort of about what’s the right thing. We are not going into this thinking there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. But there is right and wrong. The pharmaceutical industry was cautioned. Our community, like many, we’ve had our hands full.”
Cohen must decide by the end of the month which law firm will represent Cumberland.
-
County readies for opioid lawsuit
Feb 20, 2018 | Effingham Daily News (IL)
By Graham Milldrum
The Effingham County Board completed the groundwork Tuesday to sue companies that distribute opioids.
The board agreed to declare the unlawful distribution of prescription controlled substances as a "public nuisance."
County Board Member Jeff Simpson was concerned about using the word "nuisance" when people are dying from opioid overdoses.
"Does that minimize it in a fashion?" he asked.
Effingham County State's Attorney Bryan Kibler said the resolution's language is part of a framework to allow an outside law firm to sue companies that distribute opioids.
"Nuisance is the actual legal theory we are proceeding on," Kibler said.
County Board member John Perry was concerned some of the wording might be too strong, specifically referring to the declaration of "a serious public health and safety crisis" in the county as a result of the distribution.
"When you rise to that level — 'a serious public health and safety crisis' — it seems to be something you should call out the troops for," Perry said.
He suggested that language be removed so the county doesn't seem like "the worst place to move to and raise a family."
The change was unanimously approved.
In other business Tuesday:
• The board decided to expand the ambulance oversight committee. Member Johnathan Paholke resigned and there were two applicants for the position. Perry moved to expand the committee to eight members, and put Lucas Ruholl and Mike Schabbing in those positions.
• Effingham County Clerk Kerry Hirtzel reported there have been 75 voters during the early voting period.
• Perry announced the results of a recycling survey will be presented at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Suzette Brumleve Memorial Effingham Public Library. The survey garnered 600 respondents and 130 additional comments, according to Perry.
"They'd like as many of the public there as possible," Perry said.
-
St. Joseph County joins lawsuit against opioid manufacturers, distributors
Feb 21, 2018 | South Bend Tribune (IN)
By Ted Booker
St. Joseph County commissioners unanimously voted Tuesday to join numerous Indiana counties and cities in a federal lawsuit against opioid manufacturers and distributors.
Commissioners signed off on an agreement with Indianapolis law firm Cohen & Malad to file a lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies, accusing them of deceptive marketing practices that have contributed to the county's opioid problem.
To name a few, others in Indiana that have signed up with the firm for the lawsuit include Indianapolis, Bloomington, Marion County and Marshall County. The lawsuit will seek to have drug companies reimburse the county for the cost of increased public health and safety services it has provided to combat the problem, which continues to contribute to overdose-related deaths.
According to its agreement with the county, Cohen & Malad won't be paid for its services unless a favorable judgement is made in the case.
If a settlement in favor of the county is reached with drug companies, the firm would receive either 33 percent, 40 percent or 50 percent of the settlement amount to cover attorney fees, depending on how long it takes to reach such a deal. The county would receive a portion of the remaining amount, after other legal expenses are deducted.
Commissioner Dave Thomas emphasized that the county doesn't face a financial risk by joining the lawsuit. If the lawsuit fails, the firm won't be paid.
"If they go through this litigation process — whether it's one month or 10 years — we're incurring no costs," he said.
It remains to be seen how much the county could benefit from the lawsuit, which contends that marketing efforts of drug makers have created a false perception in the medical community and public that opioids are safe.
County officials say a burden has been placed on first responders, courts, the jail and the Juvenile Justice Center because of the opioid crisis. It will be up to the law firm to assign a dollar amount to that burden.
Commissioner President Andy Kostielney, who expects the firm to file the lawsuit in the next month, said drug makers have "some culpability for creating this problem, so we're asking them to help clean it up."
In the county, there were 59 overdose-related deaths in 2015, 60 in 2016 and 57 in 2017, according to the Indiana State Department of Health.
-
Greenville County hires attorney for possible lawsuit against opioid manufacturers
Feb 20, 2018 | Greenville News (SC)
By Anna B. Mitchell & Nikie Mayo
Greenville County has hired Spartanburg attorney John White and his team of litigators to investigate the impact of the national opioid epidemic on local citizens — and whether that merits a lawsuit against big pharma.
he Greenville County Council agreed unanimously Tuesday night to direct White to report back to the county in coming weeks and recommend how best to proceed.
"Greenville County is on the verge of an opioid epidemic," Council Chairman Butch Kirven said. "Public resources and tax dollars are having to be used to respond to this."
If White does find enough grounds to file a lawsuit, Greenville County would join a wave of local and state governments across the country that is turning to the courts to recoup the social and public health costs of an opioid epidemic that has killed hundreds in the Upstate.
At The Phoenix Center, an addiction recovery center in Greenville County, referrals for opioid treatment are for the first time beginning to rival those for alcohol, historically the majority of the center's detox and treatment cases, said Curtis Reece, the center's director of prevention and community-based services.
"We've really been inundated," Reece said. "It was a cultural shift when big companies like Purdue Pharma released OxyContin and released research saying it wasn't habit forming."
In Greenville County alone last year, Reece said, more than 41 million opioid and so-called benzo (benzodiazepine) pills were dispensed.
"That's 637,788 prescriptions," he said. "We really need to shift from a culture of no pain to pain management."
Kirven said opioids have done tremendous harm to county citizens.
“I don’t know if it was willful – that’s up to the courts to decide,” Kirven said. “If a settlement is made and Greenville County is not on the list, I think we may have missed an opportunity to do something beneficial for our citizens.”
White has a lot of experience in court fighting pharmaceutical giants. He won a lawsuit in 2011 that collected $327 million in damages from Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals and Johnson & Johnson over misleading “dear doctor” letters and packaging inserts for the antipsychotic drug Risperdal.
Opioid litigation nationwide reached a flood last year as about 250 cities, counties and states sued manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors and marketers. The lawsuits accuse the companies of misleading health care professionals and the public by marketing opioids as rarely addictive and a safe substitute for nonaddictive pain medications, such as ibuprofen.
Locally, Greenville County joins Spartanburg as well as the state of South Carolina in going after big pharma. State Attorney General Alan Wilson filed a lawsuit in August against Purdue Pharma LP, accusing the OxyContin maker of deceptive marketing practices that have contributed to a deadly rise in heroin and opioid addiction. Anderson County leaders are also considering a lawsuit.
White has asked for no fees up front, Kirven said, and any damages that may eventually be awarded would go toward treatment and other programs to mitigate the harm opioids have caused the Greenville community.
Citing attorney-client privilege, Greenville County Attorney Mark Tollison declined to comment on the terms of the deal with White. Asked for comment on the lawsuit, White deferred to his clients, also citing attorney-client privilege.
The Spartanburg County Council has already hired White to sue the makers of opioids. In a unanimous vote Monday night, the council agreed to let White file a case in Spartanburg County Court, Spartanburg County Councilman David Britt said.
“I would encourage each county to do it,” Britt said. “We are the ones bearing the brunt, all the way from our hospitals to the David Forrester Treatment Center — they are dealing with all these issues as well as the sheriff’s department, the coroner. The ripple effect goes throughout this county.”
Britt said he reached out to White about possible litigation after reading and watching media reports about opioid addiction.
"John and I are friends," Britt said. "We have known each other almost 40 years. We happened to see each other out at a restaurant and started talking about it."
Anderson County Council Chairman Tommy Dunn also asked his colleagues Tuesday night to consider having the county file a lawsuit against drug companies and potentially others connected to the opioid industry. Dunn said the county is still looking at its options for a lawsuit, adding that no particular law firm has been selected.
"This is a very bad problem, very sad and very serious," he said Tuesday ahead of the council meeting. "The toll is measured in human lives and in families. But it is also costing the county in terms of what it means to our emergency medical services, our jails and our hospitals."
The opioid problem, he said, has no social barriers.
"It goes after black and white, rich and poor," he said.
In 2017, 36 people died of opioid overdoses in Spartanburg County, Britt said, and since 2016, opioids have directly caused or contributed to at least 50 deaths in Anderson County, according to data from the Anderson County Coroner's Office.
Recent stats were not available for Greenville County, though the coroner's office plans to release a report on opioid deaths sometime this week. DHEC reported that in 2015, there were 68 opioid overdose deaths in Greenville County, compared with 57 in 2014.
-
Upstate counties look to sue over opioid crisis
Feb 20, 2018 | WSPA (SC)
By Staff
Greenville County Council unanimously voted to hire a lawyer to look into the impact of the opioid epidemic on residents.
Attorney John White of Spartanburg will investigate the crisis and determine if there’s a case to be made against the manufacturers of some opioids.
Greenville County Councilman Joe Dill tells 7News that this is a pro bono case and White will split any settlement from a potential lawsuit with the county.
The county would get 75 percent and White would get five percent.
Spartanburg County also voted Monday night to file a lawsuit against any party believed to be responsible for the opioid epidemic in that county.
Chairman Jeff Horton said the county plans to allocate proceeds from the lawsuit to fund existing initiatives and create new programs to tackle the crisis, including funding treatment initiatives, partnerships with law enforcement and community education programs.
Anderson County is also considering legal action.
-
Fannin County enters into opioid litigation
Feb 20, 2018 | Fannin FYN (GA)
By Natalie Kissel
The Fannin County Board of Commissioners (BOC) voted to enter into litigation involving opioids and the impact that these drugs have on Fannin County.
At the Feb. 13 BOC meeting Fannin County Attorney Lynn Doss presented a proposal that the county be represented in a legal case involving pharmaceutical companies and their distributors.
“There has been similar litigation about other drugs in the past,” Doss explained, citing the settlements reached from Tobacco Companies in the late 1990s.
On Oct. 27, 2017 the state of Georgia acknowledged the opioid crisis as a public health emergency. Between June 2016 and May 2017 opioid doses prescribed in Georgia reached a soaring 541 million. That roughly breaks down to 54 doses for every man, woman and child in the state.
“It’s real. It’s here in Fannin County,” Fannin County Chairman Stan Helton spoke of the need for the county to acknowledge and address this ongoing epidemic.The statistics for Fannin County are even higher than that of the state average. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the prescribing rate in Fannin County for 2016 was 154.3 doses per 100 people.
The national prescribing rate in 2016 was 66.5 doses per 100 people, and the rate for the state of Georgia was 77.8 per 100 people.
Fannin County also saw five deaths due to overdose in 2016.“In this county, if you take law enforcement, the jail, you take the court system; this county puts in over five million dollars a year in all those different segments,” Helton discussed some of the areas in our county where taxpayers can directly see a loss due to this ongoing crisis.
Doss shared information with the board on how the litigation will work: “It is being done directly by the counties instead of by the states. Any settlement comes directly to the county.”
Marc J. Bern And Partners, LLP will be representing the county in this suit. The agreement of the contract with this firm is that they will provide all upfront costs, and would receive 25 percent of any settlement that Fannin County is awarded.
“There is absolutely no money out of pocket for Fannin County,” Doss assured the board.
“This is personal for me,” Fannin County Post 1 Commissioner Earl Johnson expressed his thoughts on the crisis itself. Johnson stated that it is not uncommon for workers in the construction industry to be prescribed opioids due to injury from accident.
Mentioning that he has personally witnessed some hard workers succumb to addiction, Johnson added, “It’s just a shame to see what it does to people’s lives.”
Fannin County Post 2 Commissioner Larry Joe Sosebee motioned that the county enter into litigation concerning the opioid impact on our area, with Johnson seconding Sosebee’s motion. The board voted unanimously in favor of moving forward.
Doss could not give an exact timeline, but estimated that if the suit were successful Fannin County could start recouping monies lost in two to three years.
-
Bainbridge mulls joining opioid lawsuit
Feb 20, 2018 | The Post Searchlight (GA)
By Jill Holoway
Bainbridge City Council had the first of many discussions regarding an opioid litigation suit Tuesday night.
Communities in Georgia have teamed together through law firms to sue pharmaceutical companies that manufacture and sell opioids, claiming that the drugs caused a drain on public resources, such as opioid-specific programs, medication-assisted treatments, addiction programs, law enforcement costs, public hospital needs and neonatal abstinence syndrome.
Several law firms have reached out to Bainbridge concerning this litigation and the opioid crisis. This litigation would be similar to the tobacco litigation almost 10 years ago, except it will be led by the cities, counties and hospital boards instead of the state.
Opioids include painkillers like OxyContin, Vicodin, Percoset, morphine, heroine, Fentanyl and Carfentanil. These drugs release dopamine, which causes pleasure, relieves pain and slows down breathing. Unfortunately, 91 people die from an opioid overdose every day. Deaths from prescription opioids have more than quadrupled since 1999 and providers in the highest prescribing counties provided six times more opioids than those in the lowest prescribing counties.
The highest prescription rates are in small cities and towns that have more people who are uninsured and unemployed.
According to a presentation to the Bainbridge City Council, between 1,740 and 2,870 babies are born each year that suffer from Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome in Decatur County. Each baby costs $52,856 for their hospital stay and there are more than 520,000 hospitalizations every year.
City Manager Chris Hobby recommended that if the city is to join the lawsuit, it go under the same umbrella as the hospital authority and the Decatur County Board of Commissioners. There will be several different litigation groups, representing different places in the county, so it is better to go in united instead of fracture the system.
Glennie Bench said the Hospital Authority has discussed the situation as well and the hospital CEO will be meeting with the lawyer of the firm suing the opioid manufacturers to discuss it further. The Hospital Authority agreed they would all go in as one entity instead of three separate groups, and plans to vote at their next meeting.
Alan Thomas from the county was recommended by Bruce Kirbo to join in with this firm, and plans to put it to a vote at their next meeting.
While waiting on the county to vote, the city is at a standstill and is tabling the discussion.
The firm handling the litigation suit has had success in several cases already, and Bench believes at their next city meeting Hobby will recommend for them to join the firm in the lawsuit, because it is at no expense to the county and can only help them.
-
St. Albans taking steps to fight opioid epidemic
Feb 20, 2018 | WSAZ (WV)
By Staff
The city of St. Albans is taking action against the opioid epidemic.
During a meeting on Tuesday, council members approved a resolution declaring that the unlawful distribution of prescription controlled substances has created a public nuisance.
Mayor Scott James says the city has plans to file a class-action lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies and that passing this resolution is a symbolic way to show that decision has the city's support.
"This gives us meat in our argument in moving forward in fighting this problem of illegal distribution of narcotics in town," James said.
Moving forward, city leaders say they are hoping to also pass some individual ordinances and codes that will allow them to fight the opioid problem at a local level.
-
Counties association plans to go forward with lawsuit
Feb 20, 2018 | Lonokenews.net (AR)
By Max Bryan
Officials with the Association of Arkansas Counties say that a recent marketing decision by Purdue Pharma will not affect their statewide lawsuit against the company and other opioid manufacturers.
Arkansas Counties litigation council member Colin Jorgensen said Purdue’s decision to stop marketing OxyCotin, the drug company’s popular oxycodone pill, to doctors is not enough to keep officials with Arkansas Counties, the Arkansas Municipal League and the Arkansas Public Entities Risk Management association from going forward with a lawsuit against opioid manufacturers and distributors. Officials with Purdue announced Feb. 10 that they will stop marketing their prescription painkillers to doctors and cut their sales force in half.
“The damage has already been done in over two decades of unrestrained, deceptive marketing by Purdue and other opioid manufacturers and distributors,” Jorgensen said.
Purdue and other opioid manufacturers began marketing their products to doctors in the 1990s while underselling their addictive qualities. Prescription opioid sales in the United States nearly quadrupled from 1999 to 2014 despite no overall change in the amount of pain U.S. residents reported during that time, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Prescription opioid deaths in the United States quadrupled from 2,500 to nearly 10,000 from 2000 to 2014, and deaths from the more powerful opioids heroin and fentanyl rose from around 5,000 to around 25,000 in that time, according to Centers.
At 114.6 per 100 people, Arkansas had the second-highest prescription painkiller rate in 2016, according to Centers.
“This gesture, now, in February of 2018, is too little, too late,” Jorgensen said.
Purdue’s decision to stop the marketing of opioid painkillers comes with company officials’ decision to focus on the marketing of Symproic, which treats opioid-induced constipation, and other potential non-opioid products. Jorgensen said Purdue’s shift in marketing doesn’t make sense in the wake of its decision to stop marketing its opioids.
“It begs the question: how can a Purdue salesperson possibly refrain from promoting Purdue’s OxyCotin while marketing a drug that’s explicitly designed to alleviate a side effect of OxyCotin?” Jorgensen said.
The lawsuit intends to “hold accountable the nation’s leading pharmaceutical companies over their misleading and deceptive marketing of prescription opioid painkillers,” according to a Feb. 1 news release from the three organizations. Jorgensen said the lawsuit contained 70 counties and around 170 cities in Arkansas have signed on.
Jorgensen said he hopes the lawsuit provides “comprehensive, injunctive relief” that ends any remaining deceptive marketing practices by opioid manufacturers and distributors.
“If doctors have access to real science and accurate information moving forward at the doctor-patient level, then the epidemic can be remedied moving forward. We can stop creating new addicts with over-prescribing of opioids for things that they should not be prescribed for,” Jorgensen said. “We do that by having a court or settlement agreement where they could agree to do it, to order the companies to stop marketing the drugs in the ways that they have since the 1990s, and apparently, in Purdue’s case, all the way through 2018.”
-
Clark County to sue pharmaceutical firms over opioids
Feb 20, 2018 | The Columbian (WA)
By Jake Thomas
Citing the drain on public resources, the Clark County Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to join the growing number of local jurisdictions taking legal action against pharmaceutical companies accused of deceptively pushing addictive opioid medications.
The county will retain the Seattle-based law firm of Keller Rohrback to file a lawsuit on its behalf. Emily Sheldrick, chief civil deputy prosecuting attorney, said in an email that she’s not sure which specific companies will be targeted in the lawsuit. She said she hopes the lawsuit will be ready next month.
The firm represents King, Skagit, Pierce and Clallam counties and the cities of Tacoma, Mount Vernon, Burlington and Sedro-Woolley in similar lawsuits, according to a county new release. It also stated that the firm represents the Arizona Municipal Risk Recovery Pool, a coalition of 76 cities and towns. Similar lawsuits filed by Keller Rohrback have been aimed at Purdue Pharma, Endo Pharmaceuticals and Janssen Pharmaceuticals.
Speaking at the meeting, Clark County Undersheriff Mike Cooke described pharmaceutical companies as “corporate drug dealers” that have committed the same crimes as “some guy lurking in a parking lot.” He said that the opioid epidemic has been devastating to the public and been a burden to the sheriff’s office and social services.
“A significant contributor to this epidemic has been the intentional and deceptive practice of pharmaceutical companies who produce and market opiate-based medications,” he said.
Cooke described how patients of a pain clinic were left in panic when it closed down in the late 2000s. He said that some patients resorted to robbing pharmacies or faking being hit by cars in hopes of getting opioid-based painkillers. He said that some people addicted to opioids made the jump to heroin when pills became too costly.
“Now we have a new generation of people addicted to heroin, in large part, due to the practice of the major pharmaceutical companies,” he said.
Cooke said the problem has already changed operations at the sheriff’s office. He said that some deputies are now equipped with naloxone, a medication intended to reverse opioid overdoses. He also noted that the sheriff’s office has introduced medication-assisted treatment to individuals in the jail struggling with opioid addiction.
According to a county news release, at least 91 people died of opioid-related causes since 2014 in Clark County. An additional 51 people died of heroin use during that period. Opioid users make up over half of defendants in the county’s drug court, according to the news release.
The news release states that since Clark County Public Health started an opioid overdose prevention program in 2014, it has distributed more than 3,600 kits containing naloxone. More than 1,200 people, including sheriff’s deputies, have been trained to use the kits and carry them, and more than 660 overdoses have been reversed, the news release states.
Every member of the county council is a Republican (with the exception of Chair Marc Boldt, who is unaffiliated). Both Councilors Jeanne Stewart and Eileen Quiring said they would be reluctant to initiate a lawsuit against a company, but this was different.
“Normally, I’d be uncomfortable with this, except our citizens are paying the costs of taking care of this problem now,” said Stewart.
Councilor John Blom said that the lawsuit was just one piece of the puzzle and the county needs to continue to adopt forward-thinking approaches.
At the end of the meeting, Boldt said that he didn’t think that this issue would be addressed by the Legislature or Congress.
“The only place this will get handled is the local government,” he said.
The law firm will be paid only if Clark County recovers damages in a settlement or at trial, according to a news release.
-
Nowata Commissioners Approve Opioid Lawsuit Contract
Feb 20, 2018 | Bartlesville Radio (OK)
By Max Gross
The Nowata County Commissioners approved a contract for an opioid lawsuit at its Tuesday morning meeting. The meeting was moved back a day due to the observance of the president’s day holiday.
Brad Barron, a Nowata-based lawyer, presented the contract at last week’s meeting and it was discussed at length. However, the commissioner’s tabled the item in order to get more thorough information. The law suit would be filed against the distributors, manufacturers, and any responsible parties concerning the misconduct around prescription pharmaceuticals.
The law firms involved will receive 25% of any winnings received by Nowata County in the suit as well as other costs the law firm has to pay out of pocket. If no winnings are received by the county then they will not be responsible for any fees.
Barron and his law firm will provide updates and correspondence as the lawsuit progresses.
The commissioners also put newly-named sheriff Kenny Freeman in charge of all the sheriff’s accounts and removed Sandy Hadley and David Virden from those accounts.
The commissioners will have a regularly scheduled meeting next Monday.
-
Feb 21, 2018 | WVLA (NBC)
By Baton Rouge, LA
Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/32852498?token=b073d4c6-2e8f-431c-a0d5-e25ff121a965
Rough Transcript: the state's lawsuit against seventeen opioid manufacturers now sits in the hands of attorney general jeff landry. that announcmeent ends a sparring match between landry and governor john bel edwards. you may recall the governor... through the state's department of health... filed the suits against the drugmakers last september. since then, landry has sought to take over the cases... citing his role as the state's chief legal officer. in a statement, the governor says he's confident landry will quote "hold the manufacturers responsible for flooding our state with these highly addictive drugs."
-
Feb 21, 2018 | WGNO (ABC)
By New Orleans, LA
Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/32852484?token=b073d4c6-2e8f-431c-a0d5-e25ff121a965\
Rough Transcript: the state of louisiana is launching an effort against the manufacturers of opioid drugs. governor john bel edwards. and attorney general jeff landry... are leading the lawsuit-- filed by the louisiana department of health. the lawsuit aleges-- drug companies engaged in fraudulent marketing. about the risks of prescription opioids... which helped fuel the opioid epidemic.#
-
Feb 21, 2018 | WAFB (CBS)
By Baton Rouge, LA
Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/32852493?token=b073d4c6-2e8f-431c-a0d5-e25ff121a965
Rough Transcript: the louisiana attorney general the louisiana attorney general will take over a major lawsuit against drug companies blamed for the opioid crisis. the governor and attorney general had butted heads over who would take the lead on the lawsuit. the pair apparently reached a deal yesterday, ending the dispute and putting the lawsuit in the a-g's hands. we are told he will coordinate efforts with the governor's office. the state is suing drug companies, claiming they weren't honest with the public on the risks and benefits of prescription opioids.
-
News 12 This Morning at 5:30am
Feb 21, 2018 | KSLA (CBS)
By Shreveport, LA
Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/32853511?token=b073d4c6-2e8f-431c-a0d5-e25ff121a965
Rough Transcript: louisiana governor john bel edwards and attorney general jeff landry have frequently clashed over the last two years. but tensions have eased on at least one issue. edwards and landry will work together on the state's opioid crisis lawsuit. landry's office will lead the lawsuit against drug companies accused of not informing patients on the effects of opioids.
-
Feb 21, 2018 | WVUE (Fox)
By New Orleans, LA
Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/32852496?token=b073d4c6-2e8f-431c-a0d5-e25ff121a965
Rough Transcript: louisiana's attorney general will take the reigns of the state's lawsuit against opioid manufacturers. that's part of a deal reached with the governor's office. governor john bel edwards and attorney jeff landry agreed to a deal yesterday that ends their dispute over who controls a lawsuit accusing drug companies of worsening opioid abuse in louisiana.
-
Feb 21, 2018 | SPNB (Spectrum News)
By Buffalo, NY
Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/32852479?token=b073d4c6-2e8f-431c-a0d5-e25ff121a965
Rough Transcript: niagara county lawmakers are taking the next legal step in dealing with the opioid epidemic. lawmakers have set a public hearing for march 20th, the first step in having opioids declared a public nuisance. that's part of a multi-county lawsuit against several drug manufactures for their role in the crisis. legislative leaders say the drug companies are marketing pain killers to doctors without disclosing their full impact. niagara county legislature majority leader "this is monumental step for legislators to take. unanimously bi-partisan support on this, to really help our community and the people that live in niagara county." the full legislature is expected to vote on the measure next month after the public hearing.
-
WSAZ NewsChannel 3 Sunrise at 5:30a
Feb 21, 2018 | WSAZ (NBC)
By Charleston, WV
Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/32858198?token=b073d4c6-2e8f-431c-a0d5-e25ff121a965
Rough Transcript: the city of st albans is taking action against the opioid epidemic. last night council members approved a resolution declaring that the unlawful distribution of prescription drugs has created a public nusiance. mayor scott james says there are plans to file a class-action lawsuit against pharmacuetical companies and passing this resolution is a symbolic way to show that decision has the city's support. "this gives us meat in ou argument in moving forward in fighting this problem of illegal distribution of narcotics in town." moving forward city leaders are also hoping to pass individual ordinances and codes that will allow them fight the opioid problem at a local level.
-
Feb 21, 2018 | WYFF (NBC)
By Greenville, SC
Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/32853006?token=b073d4c6-2e8f-431c-a0d5-e25ff121a965
Rough Transcript: greenville county council votes to combat the opioid epidemic through the law. this is a live look at county square in greenville, where council agreed last night to work with lawyers to investigate grounds to sue people, businesses or phamaceutical companies they deem responsible for the opioidcris. the county did not specifically name the target of a possible lawsuit. spartanburg county council passed a similar resolution monday night.
-
12 Eyewitness News This Morning
Feb 21, 2018 | WNAC (Fox)
By Providence, RI
Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/32853512?token=b073d4c6-2e8f-431c-a0d5-e25ff121a965
Rough Transcript: north attleboro and norton are joining a national lawsuit against pharmaceutical manufacturers as well as distributors of prescription opiates. according to the sun chronicle-- the move was approved by selectmen. they'll be joining the massachusetts opioid litigation attorneys-- who claim the pharmaceutical giants had a hand in the opioid epidemic. the firm says the companies mismarketed their product and minimized the risks.
-
Feb 21, 2018 | WSFA (NBC)
By Montgomery, AL
Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/32858693?token=b073d4c6-2e8f-431c-a0d5-e25ff121a965
Rough Transcript: barbour county has filed a lawsuit against opioid manufacturers and distributors. the beasley allen lawfirm filed the lawsuit on behalf of the county... claiming the marketing of these drugs has contributed to the opioid epidemic. by responding to the cris.. county officials say they've dealt with economic damages that continue to be a burden. the state has filed a similar lawsuit.
-
Feb 21, 2018 | WGHP (Fox)
By Greensboro, NC
Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/32858698?token=b073d4c6-2e8f-431c-a0d5-e25ff121a965
Rough Transcript: alamance county commissioners voted to hire a law firm to sue the companies that make and distribute the drugs. guilford and forsyth counties are also suing opioid manufacturers according to the times news -- the next step is to choose from three law firms during a closed session.
-
Louisiana Attorney General to take control of opioid lawsuit
Feb 20, 2018 | Associated Press
By Melinda Deslatte
Louisiana's attorney general will take charge of a state lawsuit against drug manufacturers, under a deal announced Tuesday that ends a dispute with the governor's office over who controls litigation accusing the companies of worsening opioid abuse in Louisiana.
Gov. John Bel Edwards and Attorney General Jeff Landry said the lawsuit, initially filed through the state health department, will be broadened to more state agencies alleging damaging impacts from opioid use.
The two men issued a joint statement in which Edwards said "a coordinated effort from the state will produce the best results."
"I am confident that the attorney general's office will be able to pursue these claims vigorously and will hold the opioid manufacturers responsible for flooding our state with these highly addictive drugs and misleading the public about their addictive nature," he said.
-
Governor and Attorney General announce coordinated effort against opioid manufacturers
Feb 20, 2018 | KADN (LA)
By J. Arnold
Today, Governor John Bel Edwards and Attorney General Jeff Landry have agreed to coordinate efforts in the State of Louisiana’s litigation against opioid manufacturers.
Under this agreement, the Attorney General’s office will take over primary responsibility for the suit filed by the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) in the 19th Judicial District Court. Furthermore, the Attorney General’s office will lead the efforts with other state agencies and departments to pursue all claims Louisiana has as a result of the opioid crisis.
“The opioid crisis is sweeping the nation; and this is due, in large part, to the drug companies that mislead physicians and the public,” Governor Edwards said. “A coordinated effort from the State will produce the best results for the families who have lost loved ones to this epidemic. Justice for them is our number one priority.”
“I am confident that the Attorney General’s office will be able to pursue these claims vigorously and will hold the opioid manufacturers responsible for flooding our state with these highly addictive drugs and misleading the public about their addictive nature,” Governor Edwards continued.
“The Opioid Epidemic is one of the most challenging and complex problems facing our State,” General Landry said. “Tackling this problem will take a concerted effort on many fronts and joining together to coordinate this legal effort is in the best interest of the people of Louisiana.”
“I thank the Governor for putting his faith in our office’s leadership on this issue. We will work hard to hold drug companies accountable for contributing to the opioid abuse, misuse, and addiction that has destroyed so many Louisiana families,” General Landry added.
In the aforementioned case, LDH is seeking damages and penalties for the amounts it has already paid for excessive opioid prescriptions and treatment costs as a result of those prescriptions. The lawsuit alleges that the drug companies engaged in fraudulent marketing regarding the risks and benefits of prescription opioids, which helped fuel Louisiana’s opioid epidemic.
Louisiana joins dozens of other cities, counties, and states that have filed similar lawsuits in response to the alarming number of cases of opioid addiction and opioid-related deaths throughout the country.
-
Gov., AG announce joint effort in suit against opioid manufacturers
Feb 20, 2018 | WAFB (LA)
By Staff
Putting aside political differences, Gov. John Bel Edwards and Attorney General Jeff Landry have agreed to join forces in Louisiana’s litigation against opioid manufacturers.
The pair has agreed that Landry’s office will take point on the lawsuit filed by the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) in the 19th Judicial Court in Baton Rouge.
The AG’s office will also lead the efforts to pursue all claims the state has as a result of the opioid crisis.
"The opioid crisis is sweeping the nation; and this is due, in large part, to the drug companies that mislead physicians and the public," Edwards said. "A coordinated effort from the State will produce the best results for the families who have lost loved ones to this epidemic. Justice for them is our number one priority."
"The Opioid Epidemic is one of the most challenging and complex problems facing our State," Landry added. "Tackling this problem will take a concerted effort on many fronts and joining together to coordinate this legal effort is in the best interest of the people of Louisiana."
According to the lawsuit, some drug companies helped fuel Louisiana’s opioid epidemic through fraudulent marketing on the risks and benefits of prescription opioids.
LDH is seeking damages for what it has already paid out for excessive prescriptions and the cost of treatment that resulted from those prescriptions.
Several other states have filed similar lawsuits.
-
Feb 20, 2018 | The Advocate (LA)
By Joe Gyan Jr.
The oft-feuding Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards and Republican Attorney General Jeff Landry agreed Tuesday that Landry's office will represent the state in the Edwards administration's opioid lawsuit against 17 pharmaceutical companies.
The agreement, relayed to state District Judge Wilson Fields during a short court hearing, resolved a dispute over who should press the state’s claims that pharmaceutical firms are responsible for Louisiana's deadly opioid crisis.
The state Department of Health, with the governor's backing, filed the suit in September in Baton Rouge state court. Landry filed a motion the following month asking Fields to allow the attorney general to "supersede" the health department.
Chief Deputy Attorney General Bill Stiles III and Matthew Block, the governor's executive counsel, told the judge Tuesday they jointly agreed to substitute the attorney general for the governor's lawyers as counsel of record in the case.
"I am confident that the Attorney General's office will be able to pursue these claims vigorously and will hold the opioid manufacturers responsible for flooding our state with these highly addictive drugs and misleading the public about their addictive nature," Edwards said later in a written statement.
Landry thanked the governor for "putting his faith in our office's leadership on this issue."
"We will work hard to hold drug companies accountable for contributing to the opioid abuse, misuse, and addiction that has destroyed so many Louisiana families," the attorney general stated.
The agreement announced by Edwards and Landry, who have butted heads on many issues since both took office in early 2016, calls for the Attorney General's Office to take over primary responsibility for the suit. The pact also says Landry's office will lead the efforts with other state agencies and departments to pursue all opioid crisis-related claims.
"A coordinated effort from the State will produce the best results for the families who have lost loved ones to this epidemic," the governor said. "Justice for them is our number one priority."
Landry described the opioid epidemic as "one of the most challenging and complex problems" facing the state.
"Tackling this problem will take a concerted effort on many fronts and joining together to coordinate this legal effort is in the best interest of the people of Louisiana," he said.
The state's lawsuit alleges drug makers tried to maximize profits through an orchestrated campaign to flood Louisiana with opioid-based prescription painkillers, such as hydrocodone and oxycodone.
The Attorney General's Office has estimated opioid-related costs to the state at about $160 million annually.
Fields also presides over an opioid suit filed in November by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana. Fellow 19th Judicial District Judge Mike Caldwell has been assigned another such suit filed earlier this month by the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office and the East Baton Rouge Parish Law Enforcement District.
Commentary and FYIs
MDL
Northeast (MA, MD)
Midwest (IL, IN)
Southeast (SC, GA, WV, AR)
Northwest (WA)
Southwest (OK)
Broadcast Media Coverage
Louisiana Suit
Add recipients
Suggested