The jury began deliberating on Dec. 14 after hearing more than five months of testimony presented by the government plaintiffs and the defendants.<\/p>\n
A Suffolk County jury on Thursday ruled in favor of New York state and the Long Island counties in the state\u2019s long-running opioid trial, finding\u00a0that a group of drug companies created a public nuisance\u00a0through their role in the opioid crisis.<\/p>\n
The amount of damages owed by those found responsible has yet to be determined. Napoli Shkolnik partner Hunter Shkolnik,\u00a0who represents Nassau County, said Thursday that the number could be in the tens or even hundreds of billions.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we undertook in New York and\u00a0I think a lot of people thought was impossible was literally \u2026 we took on everybody in one trial, which hadn\u2019t happened yet, it\u2019s been more piecemeal,\u201d Shkolnik\u00a0said. \u201cManufacturers, distributors, pharmacies\u00a0\u2013 we chose to take them on all at once.\u201d<\/p>\n