For years, McKinsey & Company has settled opioid-related claims without ever having to account for its conduct in a courtroom. That is about to change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On March 3, 2026, the Suffolk County Supreme Court rejected McKinsey\u2019s motion to dismiss a lawsuit<\/a> brought by more than 40 New York counties, cities, and towns represented by Napoli Shkolnik. The court rejected McKinsey\u2019s argument that as a consultant, it owed no legal duty to the public for its alleged role in the opioid epidemic. The claims moving forward include negligence, fraud, public nuisance, consumer protection violations, civil conspiracy, aiding, and abetting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMcKinsey was not a passive adviser. It was an active architect of the opioid epidemic, and this ruling ensures they will finally answer for that in open court,\u201d said Pablo J. N\u00e1poles<\/a>, Partner at Napoli Shkolnik. \u201cDiscovery will now force McKinsey to open its files, and the full record of what this firm knew and what it chose to do anyway will finally see the light of day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another Step Against the Opioid Epidemic<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Napoli Shkolnik has been at the center of opioid accountability <\/a>litigation since the earliest days of the national legal response to the epidemic. Partner Cazador J. Shkolnik<\/a> serves on the Plaintiffs\u2019 Executive Committee in In Re: National Prescription Opiate Litigation. Paul J. Napoli serves as Co-Lead Counsel in the New York Opioid Cost Recovery Litigation and Plaintiffs\u2019 Liaison Counsel in the West Virginia Opioid Litigation. Collectively, the firm has played a role in securing billions of dollars for the communities most affected by the crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2019, the firm represented Cuyahoga County, Ohio, in the first bellwether trial in the national opioid multidistrict litigation. With Hunter J. Shkolnik as lead trial attorney, the case produced a landmark Liquidaci\u00f3n $260 millones<\/a> with McKesson, Cardinal Health, AmerisourceBergen, and Teva ahead of trial. That case established the template for municipal opioid litigation across the country. In 2021, a jury in the New York State opioid trial <\/a>found Teva Pharmaceuticals and its affiliated companies responsible for creating a public nuisance in Nassau and Suffolk counties through misleading opioid marketing. Napoli Shkolnik served as counsel to Nassau County. It was one of the first jury verdicts in the country to hold an opioid manufacturer accountable at trial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since then, the firm\u2019s leadership in the national litigation has contributed to some of the largest opioid recoveries ever reached, including a combined $6 billion settlement <\/a>with Teva and AbbVie paid directly to state and local governments, and a $3.1 billion multi-state settlement<\/a> with Walmart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Representing Cities and Communities<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Napoli Shkolnik is committed to the communities we represent. The recoveries we secure go directly to cities, counties, and local governments to fund the treatment, prevention, and support services residents need to recover from the opioid crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Local governments should not absorb the costs of corporate misconduct, and they have the right to seek accountability on behalf of their residents. Learn more about our work with cities, governments, and municipalities aqu\u00ed<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cont\u00e1ctenos<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n