Public Client Group Attorneys

El grupo de práctica de clientes públicos en Napoli Shkolnik is uniquely positioned to represent state and local governments. Our attorneys are court appointed to numerous multidistrict and other coordinated actions to recover funding through litigation to ensure that government entities can continue to protect and provide for their citizens’ health and safety.

Nuestro enfoque

At Napoli Shkolnik, our dedicated Public Client Practice Group has the experience, resources and tenacity to achieve the best possible results. Our approach is simple. If your authority has a problem, our public client practice group looks for a solution that does not further impact taxpayers and/or rate payers.

We have an established track record of success that goes back several decades. Here are a few recent highlights.

Opioid Epidemic

The manufacturers of prescription opioids grossly misrepresented the risks of long-term use of those drugs for persons with chronic pain. The distributors failed to properly monitor suspicious orders of those prescription drugs--all of which contributed to the current opioid epidemic. The pharmacies filled those prescriptions ignoring red flags.

While these defendants made record profits, counties, cities, and municipalities were left with an addicted population to care for. Public authorities are entitled to recover these costs due to the defendants' negligence.

To date, national settlements have been reached with Janssen, Cardinal, McKesson, AmerisourceBergen, Teva, Allergan, CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart. Funding from these settlements have begun to flow into our communities. The firm is still in litigation against defendants across the country.

Litigio de la Industria de Armas de Fuego

Napoli Shkolnik representa a las ciudades de Buffalo y Rochester en dos juicios separados contra la industria de las armas.

Las demandas se entablan en virtud de una ley firmada en 2021, que establece que es ilegal que los participantes en la industria de las armas contribuyan a una condición que “ponga en peligro la seguridad o la salud del público a través de la venta, fabricación, importación o comercialización de un arma de fuego ilegal”. . Los coacusados incluyen Bushmaster Firearms, Vintage Firearms, Smith & Wesson Brands, Beretta USA Corp, Colt's Manufacturing Co. y Glock. Napoli Shkolnik se enorgullece de representar a las ciudades de Rochester y Buffalo en estas demandas históricas, cuyo objetivo es limitar el uso de armas de fuego en delitos violentos y mejorar la seguridad y la calidad de vida en ambas ciudades.

Litigio Ambiental

La Ley Federal de Agua Limpia permite que “cualquier ciudadano”, incluidas ciudades, condados y municipios, busque reparación por daños ambientales en los tribunales. Esta reparación generalmente incluye compensación financiera, mandatos judiciales permanentes y otras medidas de reparación.

En Napoli Shkolnik, nuestro grupo de práctica de clientes públicos se centra principalmente en una serie de problemas de contaminacion ambiental, como:

• Contaminación del agua con PFAS : Muchas bases de la Fuerza Aérea y aeropuertos privados usaban espuma contra incendios mezclada con ácido perfluorooctanoico. Este peligroso químico es altamente cancerígeno. Además, una vez que este químico se filtra en el suelo, permanece allí durante años, contaminando continuamente el suministro de agua.

Judge Approves Historic $12.5 Billion 3M Settlement to Clean America’s Water Supplies

Historic $1.18 Billion Settlement Approved with DuPont to Clean America’s Water Supplies

Paul Napoli & Co-Leads Secure $750 Million Settlement with Tyco Fire Products LP in AFFF MDL

Napoli Shkolnik Applauds EPA’s Historic Action on PFAS Regulation in Drinking Water

• Redondeo: Un creciente cuerpo de evidencia relaciona el glifosato, un químico clave en el herbicida residencial y comercial de Monsanto, con el cáncer. En 2017, California fue el primer estado en emitir una advertencia oficial sobre el uso y la venta de glifosato y Roundup.
• Envenenamiento por plomo: Flint, Michigan, fue solo la punta del iceberg. Muchas empresas utilizaron materiales de plomería de baja calidad en unidades de vivienda pública, particularmente en Nueva York y Nueva Jersey. Estos residentes ahora deben lidiar con los efectos físicos y mentales paralizantes del envenenamiento por plomo a largo plazo.

También nos enfocamos en derrames de petróleo, fracking hidráulico y cualquier otra contaminación ambiental que afecte a una gran cantidad de contribuyentes en un área específica.

Litigio Antimonopolio de Medicamentos Genéricos

Napoli represents dozens of self-insured governmental entities and private companies in the coordinated

litigation known as In re Generic Pharmaceuticals Pricing Antitrust Litigation, in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania to seek relief due to massive price hikes implemented by pharmaceutical companies on a multitude of generic drugs.

As a member of the Executive Committee for the Self -Funded Payer Track, Napoli is at the forefront and leading the charge for plaintiffs in coordinated civil litigation in the District Court for the District of New Jersey against the three dominant insulin manufacturers and three major pharmacy benefit managers (“PBMs”) for violations of the RICO Act and state laws regarding deceptive acts, false and misleading misrepresentations, breach of contract and unjust enrichment. The Defendants’ deliberate actions placed substantial economic burdens on self-funded health plans, impacting both their members and beneficiaries – all the while the manufacturers amassed billions of dollars for themselves and lined their PBM co-conspirators’ pockets through kickback schemes and agreements.

It is widely known that generic drugs were originally created to make healthcare affordable for Americans, as manufacturers would use the identical active pharmaceutical ingredient molecule as brand drugs at lower costs. After Congress enacted the Hatch Waxman Act in 1984, Americans enjoyed decades of low-priced generic drugs under a modern system of regulation, which facilitated and encouraged competition between drug manufacturers. However, these manufacturers began to engage in anticompetitive practices by taking steps to prevent price erosion, avoiding competitive bidding and refraining from engaging in competition upon entering specific generic markets. Competitors collaborated to collectively raise and sustain prices for generic drugs, systematically eliminating competition by conspiring to allocate customers, manipulate bids, and fix prices for specific generic drugs. Defendants participated in an overarching conspiracy to increase prices and reduce competition across the entire spectrum of generic drugs since at least 2010. Even in markets with only one manufacturer, they maintained prices above the competitive level, anticipating cooperative entry by another manufacturer at supra-competitive prices.

What does this mean to local governments? Their group health plans usually rely on less-expensive generic drugs to reduce costs. When these drug prices are artificially high, the counties, cities, and municipalities that sponsor these plans pay the price. If your public employee health plan costs increased due to overpriced generic drugs, it is highly advisable to exercise your legal rights.

Insulin Pricing Litigation

Diabetes continues to be one of the leading causes of death in the United States, and insulin is a

medication used by millions to regulate blood sugar levels and manage this terrible disease. Since 2003, countless government entities have purchased insulin and other diabetic medication from the manufacturers through PBMs, unwittingly paying exorbitantly high prices due to the insulin pricing scheme. The Defendants caused higher costs for payors and plan members over the last two decades, raising prices despite decreased manufacturing expenses, and insulin's longstanding history and stable formulation.

Social Media Addiction

Napoli represents multiple school boards in coordinated litigation in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California against major social media corporations that own, operate, control, produce, design, maintain, manage, develop, test, label, market, advertise, promote, supply, and distribute the widely popular social media platforms Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube. School boards, government entities and other plaintiffs assert that these platforms are defective, designed to maximize screen time and encourage addictive behavior in adolescents, leading to various emotional and physical harms. School boards and governmental entities are actively pursuing negligence claims, seeking damages for the public nuisance created by the social media companies across the country.

Beyond the personal toll on children, the impact of social media has incurred significant costs for school districts. From hiring additional personnel to address mental health issues, developing resources, and training staff to identify and address problems, schools are bearing the burden of the social media-induced crisis. Costs also include property damage, increased disciplinary services, and the diversion of time and resources from educational activities. The detrimental effects of social media on academic performance over the past decade necessitate a comprehensive evaluation by School Board Financial Committees, Departments, and/or Advisors for potential economic losses. The litigation emphasizes the prioritization of financial growth over the well-being of schoolchildren and young adults in the United States.

In the age of widespread social media usage, nearly all U.S. teenagers aged 13-17, actively participate on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. These platforms, possessing algorithms specifically optimized for user engagement, easily disseminate extreme content and pose potential risks for minors. Crafted with a deliberate aim to attract young users, these platforms take advantage of the psychological vulnerabilities of children and adolescents. This exploitation plays a role in an unprecedented mental health crisis characterized by issues like sleep disturbances, depression, and self-harming behavior. Consequently, these platforms are currently under legal scrutiny due to allegations of consciously designing addictive and harmful products. As these social media platforms accumulated billions of users worldwide, companies harvested extensive personal data, enabling the practice of micro-targeted advertising. This exploitation of user information has fueled a consistent rise in mental health crises among U.S. children since 2010, resulting in severe consequences, including suicide becoming the second leading cause of death for youth by 2018.

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En Napoli Shkolnik PLLC, nuestro grupo de práctica de clientes públicos lo ayuda a proteger a su gente. Llámenos hoy para una CONSULTA GRATIS. Manejamos estos asuntos a nivel nacional.