Office of Governmental Opioid Affairs

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American Indian Tribe/Opioid Abuse Lawyers

The opioid epidemic is twice as bad in American Indian areas than in the country at large, according to some estimates. This crisis has not just wrecked lives and families. It has also devastated entire areas.

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Nationally Renowned Opioid Lawyers

The opioid epidemic is affecting communities and local governments across the country at an unprecedented level. The opioid crisis is causing an emotional and financial strain on communities nationwide which requires a comprehensive approach.

Local officials are responding swiftly and admirably by increasing health service programs, first responder personnel, law enforcement training sessions, and supporting treatment centers. However, the opioid issue has far reaching effects on municipalities, affecting child care services, hospital staffing, environmental issues and tourism. Opioid-related costs will quickly affect a community’s annual budget and lead to unexpected losses.

The opioid crisis is a public health problem and municipalities may require additional assistance to respond judiciously. Napoli Shkolnik’s Office of Governmental Opioid Affairs consists of an army of legal professionals dedicated to your best interests. Our experienced attorneys will advise you as to all available legal options in order to quickly and efficiently recoup expenses from combatting this epidemic by holding the manufacturers and distributors accountable.

Our knowledgeable legal team will offer a dynamic perspective and approach to achieve a successful result for your community. We will advise you on how to move forward to seek justice through financial compensation and injunctive relief.

Napoli Shkolnik will take on 100% of the expenses upfront; there will be no burden on taxpayers. Our firm has the resources and skills necessary to deal with the complex legal issues and tactics often employed by  the pharmaceutical industry.

If a local government in your region issued a request for legal services regarding the opioid epidemic or if you are interested in learning more about a possible partnership, please contact us at (212) 397-1000. Together, we can fight to stop this epidemic.

  • NY Law Journal: Hunter Shkolnik on McKinsey Opioid Role

    The global consulting firm asked the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation to transfer all the lawsuits in New York, where it has headquarters. Dozens of plaintiffs opposed that request this week. “This case is unlike the other cases filed against McKinsey and should not be transferred — at least not until the New York…Read the article

  • Counties & Municipalities Object to NY AG McKinsey Deal

    A New York judge has approved a $32 million agreement between McKinsey & Co. and the state’s attorney general over its alleged role in the opioid epidemic, over the objections of counties and municipalities that challenged the deal because it could potentially block them from pursuing their own claims against the consulting firm. DownloadRead the article

  • Law360: Hunter Shkolnik On State AGs and Purdue Ch. 11 Plan

    However, the Sacklers are widely seen as the public face of the addiction crisis, and Hunter Shkolnik of Napoli Shkolnik PLLC, who represents local governments in litigation over the opioid crisis, told Law360 that he wasn’t surprised by the instant outcry from attorneys general. “There are some AGs that want a deal at all costs.…Read the article

  • Law360 Quotes Hunter Shkolnik on McKinsey Opioid Crisis Role

    Napoli Shkolnik PLLC partner Hunter Shkolnik, whose firm has had a prominent role in the existing opioid MDL and represents cities and counties suing McKinsey, criticized the company’s bid for a new MDL in New York. “McKinsey cut a sweetheart deal with state AGs to cover up its corrupt conduct, and now it is running…Read the article

  • Paul Napoli & Hunter Shkolnik On New NY Opioid Trial Date

    A New York state judge on Monday set a new June trial date for the long-anticipated New York attorney general’s suit over the opioid crisis, which has been delayed multiple times due to the coronavirus pandemic. “Although we are disappointed that the trial will not start in the next two weeks, we see light at…Read the article

  • Paul Napoli Quoted by Law360 on Delayed NY Opioid Trial

    A major trial against opioid makers by New York’s attorney general and local governments will not start at the end of March as planned, a judge ruled Friday, citing ongoing pandemic safety concerns. “Setting the trial has not only helped spark discussions in New York but also in California and also nationally,” Napoli said, arguing…Read the article

  • Law360 Quotes Hunter Shkolnik on Upcoming NY Opioid Trial

    Drug companies, distributors and pharmacies asked the New York state judge overseeing the state’s suit over the opioid crisis to again delay the trial. Hunter Shkolnik, an attorney for the plaintiffs, told Law360 that the judge had adopted a jury questionnaire submitted months previously. “Given the jury questionnaire order just issued it appears the court…Read the article

  • Law360 Quotes Hunter Shkolnik on NY Opioid Trial

    The state of New York is signaling that it is ready to push back against two Long Island counties’ bid to de-consolidate their joint trial against opioid makers in a closely watched case. An attorney for Nassau County, Hunter Shkolnik of Napoli Shkolnik, told Law360 on Thursday, “We support the state of New York in…Read the article

  • Law360 Quotes Partner Shkolnik On Cases To Watch in 2021

    Law360 put together “Product Liability Cases To Watch In 2021” and Partner Hunter Shkolnik was quoted in the “Opioid Bellwether Trials to Start” section of the list. Jury trials in New York have been put on hold, and the parties are still waiting to hear about a new date, according to Hunter Shkolnik of Napoli…Read the article

  • Hunter Shkolnik on Purdue Pharma Board Members Testifying

    Two former Purdue Pharma board members have agreed to testify before House panel that’s examining the origins of the opioid crisis. “Purdue was only one small piece of the opioid crisis. We know that, they started it,” stated Hunter Shkolnik, a class action attorney. “They were that little match out in the forest that starts a…Read the article

  • FDA, DEA Experts to Testify in Opioid Case, Hunter in Law360

    The New York judge overseeing the state attorney general’s suit over the opioid crisis said on Friday that he will allow witnesses for the state and two Long Island counties to testify, including a former U.S. Food and Drug Administration head and a former U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent. “These defendants never know when to…Read the article

  • Chain Pharmacies: Doctors On the Hook for Prescriptions Too

    “The chain pharmacies have beaten this drum to death, blaming every doctor and person that became addicted in these counties because those pharmacy defendants broke the law is like saying it’s OK for a driver to speed and run a red light and run a pedestrian over because they were walking outside the lines,” Hunter…Read the article

  • Bloomberg Law Quote H. Shkolnik on Purdue Pharma

    Purdue Pharma is poised to wrap up all liability for its role in the opioid crisis in a matter of weeks after its $8.3 billion settlement with the Justice Department cleared the way to resolve outstanding bankruptcy claims. “This clears the way for a Purdue bankruptcy plan to be finalized and to be put forward…Read the article

  • Law360 Quotes Hunter Shkolnik on Pharmacies’ Opioid Review

    Pharmacies have no justification for their request that the Sixth Circuit review a judge’s ruling allowing two Ohio counties’ opioid claims to go forward, other than that they disagree with the ruling, the counties said Tuesday. “The chain pharmacies are rehashing a losing, and almost laughable argument,” Hunter J. Shkolnik of Napoli Shkolnik PLLC, one of…Read the article

  • Law360 Quotes Hunter Shkolnik On Witheld Opioid Evidence

    A group of Ohio cities and counties asked the federal judge overseeing the opioid multidistrict litigation to sanction Teva and Allergan for the “willful” failure to produce an audit report over suspicious orders of opioids during discovery. “It was quite a surprise to see that Allergan and Teva withheld this highly relevant evidence which clearly…Read the article

  • Law360 Quotes Hunter Shkolnik on Pharmacy/Opioid Order

    U.S. District Judge Dan Poster concluded that pharmacies have an obligation on the corporate-level to design and implement policies and procedures to identify red flag prescriptions of opioids, according to the pharmacies. “This is just another example of the chain pharmacy defendants going on hands and knees begging to be relieved of their obligations to…Read the article

  • Law360: Hunter Shkolnik Questions Former FDA Commissioner

    The (opioid) trial is expected to test allegations from New York and Suffolk and Nassau counties against major drug manufacturers and distributors. The so-called Frye hearings in the suit are used to determine the admissibility of scientific evidence. “Would it be fair to say that you determined there were departures from the appropriate standards of…Read the article

  • Bloomberg Law Quotes Hunter Shkolnik on NY Opioid Trial

    The first lawsuit putting the entire opioid supply chain on trial will begin pretrial hearings Friday in New York State Supreme Court in Suffolk County. “We’re going to lay out the whole case for the court, for the public,” said Hunter Shkolnik, who represents some of the plaintiff municipalities. “This will be the first time…Read the article

  • Law360 Quotes Hunter Shkolnik: Pharmacies and OH Opioid MDL

    The Ohio federal judge overseeing opioid multidistrict litigation has refused to toss two Ohio counties’ bellwether cases against pharmacies, allowing their public nuisance claims over the dispensing and distribution of opioids to move forward. “We were confident in the strength of the case against the national chain pharmacies like CVS, Rite Aid, Walmart, Walgreens and…Read the article

  • Counties: Pharmacies Are Part of the Opioid Crisis

    Two Ohio counties urged a federal judge to shut down requests by pharmacy chains to toss claims that they created a public nuisance by failing to monitor suspicious opioid orders that helped fuel an epidemic of painkiller addiction, saying the state’s public nuisance law fits their claims.  Read the article

  • Law360 Quotes Hunter Shkolnik on Pharmacies in Opioid Suits

    A group of pharmacies is asking an Ohio federal judge to dismiss complaints by two Ohio counties alleging the pharmacies contributed to the opioid epidemic, saying the counties are suing under public nuisance laws that don’t fit their claims. An attorney for the counties, Hunter Shkolnik of Napoli Shkolnik, told Law360, “The chain pharmacy defendants,…Read the article

  • Grand Prairie Joins Opioid Class Action Lawsuit

    The City of Grande Prairie has signed on as the representative plaintiff on behalf of municipalities in a $10-billion class-action lawsuit regarding the opioid crisis. The city is being represented by Guardian Law Group, a class-action firm in Calgary, and working with Napoli Shkolnik PLLC, a U.S. firm boasting a notably successful track record against…Read the article

  • Grand Prairie Joins $10B Opioids Class Action

    Lawsuit claims opioid crisis has taxed emergency response systems, led to increased homelessless. The lawsuit alleges manufacturers of prescription opioids “engaged in a massive false marketing campaign to drastically expand the market for such drugs and their own market share,” and both manufacturers and distributors “reaped enormous financial rewards by refusing to monitor and restrict…Read the article

  • CBC: City of Grand Prairie Files $10B Opioid Class Action

    The City of Grande Prairie has filed a proposed $10-billion class-action lawsuit against opioid manufacturers and distributors that seeks to recoup municipal costs associated with the opioid crisis. Guardian Law Group is working with a U.S. law firm, Napoli Shkolnik PLLC, on the file. In October, Napoli Shkolnik reached a $320-million settlement with three opioid distribution…Read the article

  • Shkolnik/Law360: New Opioid MDL Bellwether Trials

    The Ohio federal judge overseeing multidistrict opioid litigation picked two cases Thursday for a bellwether trial in 2021 to test allegations that the nation’s largest pharmacy chains fueled the opioid crisis by dispensing painkiller prescriptions they should have known weren’t appropriate. Hunter Shkolnik of Napoli Shkolnik PLLC, counsel for the counties, said in a statement…Read the article

  • Law360/Shkolnik: No Separate Trial for Mallinckrodt

    Nassau County on Wednesday told a New York judge that Mallinckrodt’s bid for a separate opioid trial should be denied as its bankruptcy no longer appears to be imminent and it still has not struck a final deal to settle opioid cases. “When Mallinckrodt came to court and said we have a deal and will…Read the article

  • Law360 Quotes Hunter Shkolnik on Opioid Bellwethers

    Big pharmacy chains on Tuesday objected to plans in the multidistrict opioid litigation to select a new bellwether case to test allegations of improper painkiller dispensing, saying another case in Northern Ohio federal court would be overkill. “It is obvious [the pharmacy defendants] will do or say anything to avoid judgment day,” Shkolnik said. “However,…Read the article

  • Law360/H. Shkolnik: Should Opioid Funds Be Mental Health?

    Mental health advocates on Tuesday told the Ohio federal judge overseeing opioid multidistrict litigation that half of the settlement funds from the litigation should be used to form a foundation addressing mental illness. “We all understand there are many groups who believe with very [good] reason that they should receive the lion’s share of any…Read the article

  • Law360 Quotes Hunter Shkolnik On Ch. 11 in NY Opioid Trial

    Purdue Pharma LP on Wednesday asked a New York bankruptcy judge to reject a bid by pharmaceutical companies and pharmacies who are co-defendants in the New York opioid trial to include the OxyContin maker on the verdict form, saying that it could upset negotiations for a global settlement. “The manufacturers, chain pharmacies and distributors who…Read the article

  • Law360 Quotes Hunter Shkolnik on Opioid MDL

    The Ohio federal judge overseeing the vast multidistrict opioid litigation told local governments and pharmacy giants to quickly select a new bellwether case to test allegations of improper painkiller dispensing or he will do it himself. “The chain pharmacies got what they asked for in the writ, but maybe next time they should consider the…Read the article

  • Law360 Quotes Hunter Shkolnik on NY Opioid Trial

    Suffolk County Supreme Court Judge Jerry Garguilo said that Nassau and Suffolk counties hadn’t shown that retail chain pharmacies, including CVS Pharmacy Inc, Rite Aid and Walgreen Co., are responsible for the conduct of their subsidiaries. It has long been New York law that a parent corporation is not liable for the torts of its…Read the article

  • Law360 Quotes Hunter Shkolnik on OH Opioid MDL

    “Time and time again, these defendants have sought ways in which to delay the trial into oblivion. This attempt to place blame on hundreds, if not thousands, of unnamed doctors and hospitals is just another one of those attempts,” Hunter Shkolnik of Napoli Shkolnik PLLC told Law360.  “Judge Pollster correctly severed those claims, and if…Read the article

  • Law360 Quotes Paul Napoli on NY Opioid Trial

    Two Long Island counties were supposed to have already started the second trial to come from the thousands of cases filed by state and local governments blaming drug companies for the opioid crisis. Paul Napoli, who represents the counties, told Law360 this week that while it is unlikely that the trial will be proceeding in…Read the article

  • Bloomberg Law Quotes Hunter Shkolnik on Opioid Litigation

    Suboxone and it’s generic equivalent, buprenorphine-naloxone, are life-saving drugs that have helped many people escape a cycle of getting high off of prescription opioids and heroin. “You hook ‘em on the oxys, you’re going to have a methadone or Suboxone patient for the rest of their life,” said Hunter Shkolnik, an attorney on the executive…Read the article

  • Madison County, MS Considers Joining National Opioid Suit

    Madison County is considering joining the national opioid lawsuit based on the damages cities and counties have incurred related to opioid addiction and abuse, such as increased health care costs, prescription costs, criminal justice costs, tax collection losses, loss of productivity, and other factors, which alleges that the issue is in the over prescribing of…Read the article

  • Keep Defendant in Opioid Trial

    Long Island’s Nassau County urged a New York state court not to sever the drugmaker Mallinckrodt from an upcoming opioid trial amid news that the company had struck a tentative $1.6 billion settlement and is close to bankruptcy, with the county saying “anticipated” developments aren’t enough to justify a separate trial. A lawyer representing the county, Hunter…Read the article

  • Law360 Quotes Hunter Shkolnik on Opioids Defendant Firm

    Nassau County urged a New York state court Friday to disqualify its former law firm Meyer Suozzi from representing Mallinckrodt in the county’s suit over the opioid crisis, arguing that the firm is trying to “switch sides” after defending the Long Island county for five years. Nassau County’s counsel Hunter J. Shkolnik of Napoli Shkolnik PLLC said in an…Read the article

  • NY Opioid Trial Not Delayed

    A New York appeals court has denied a bid from several pharmaceutical companies to delay the March 20 trial date for a suit by the state attorney general and two counties accusing the companies of contributing to the national opioid crisis. Moving the trial now, Shkolnik said, would be a “monumental disaster,” adding that the…Read the article

  • Bloomberg Law Quotes Hunter Shkolnik on $50B Offer

    Nearly two dozen states and most of the cities and counties suing to hold the industry responsible for the havoc and high costs of the opioid epidemic say the terms of the $50 billion still aren’t good enough.Read the article

  • Opioid Makers & Distributors Offer Proposal to End Suits

    Opioid makers and distributors who proposed paying almost $50 billion to resolve U.S. lawsuits over the addictive drugs are drawing more support from states, including California and New York, as pressure mounts for a deal before a trial starts next month, people with knowledge of the talks said. Although the companies want to strike a…Read the article

  • Defendants in Opioid Lawsuit Want to Pause Discovery

    The Ohio federal judge overseeing multidistrict litigation over the opioid crisis told the Sixth Circuit that pharmacies looking to block nationwide discovery are contradicting themselves by raising privacy concerns when they’ve tried to pry sensitive health data from plaintiffs in the past. Hunter J. Shkolnik of Napoli Shkolnik, who represents Cuyahoga County, said in an…Read the article

  • Law360 Quotes Hunter Shkolnik on Common Benefits

    A group of 37 attorneys general urged an Ohio federal judge Monday to reject a fee request from lead plaintiffs’ attorneys in the opioid multidistrict litigation, saying it could irreparably disrupt progress made toward reaching a large national settlement. Hunter Shkolnik of Napoli Shkolnik PLLC, a top plaintiffs’ lawyer in the MDL, told Law360 in…Read the article

  • City of Milwaukee Joined Federal Opioid Suit

    The law firm of Napoli Shkolni, which will be representing Milwaukee in its upcoming lawsuit, has been working closely with the city’s police and health departments, and has assessed the economic damage done by opioid manufacturers.Read the article

  • OH Federal Judge Sides with Plaintiffs in Opioid MDL

    An Ohio federal judge on Thursday overruled objections from several pharmacies being asked to disclose the ages of patients in discovery in sprawling opioid multidistrict litigation, saying in light of the other data being produced, disclosing the ages does not present a risk to patient privacy. Hunter J. Shkolnik of Napoli Shkolnik, representing Cuyahoga County,…Read the article

  • City of Milwaukee Joins Federal Opioid Lawsuit

    The City Attorney’s Office retained New York law firm Napoli Shkolnik to represent the city in the litigation that is being heard in federal district court in Ohio. Milwaukee officials announced  that the city is joining a sprawling federal lawsuit against opioid drug manufacturers and distributors that are accused of fueling the opioid epidemic.Read the article

  • City Attorney of Milwaukee Files Formal Complaint

    Read the article

  • NBC Affiliate Reports: Milwaukee Files Opioid Crisis Lawsuit

    Read the article

  • Milwaukee Files Opioid Epidemic Compliant in Federal Court

    Milwaukee Alderman Michael Murphy issued the following statement:”…Today’s filing does just that, and I want to extend my gratitude to the City Attorney’s Office for their diligent work and collaboration with Napoli Shkolnik, PLLC.”Read the article

  • Law360: Hunter Shkolnik on Data Pharmacies Must Provide

    “Special Master Cohen’s order recognizes that we are entitled to discovery related to the chain pharmacies failure [to] monitor the so-called ‘holy trinity’ combination of opioids and non-opioids, which were the classic red flags for improper drug dispensing,” Hunter Shkolnik of Napoli Shkolnik PLLC, a top plaintiffs lawyer in the MDL, told Law360 on Tuesday.…Read the article

  • Law360 Quotes Hunter Shkolnik on Opioids/Pharmacies

    An Ohio federal judge on Monday refused attempts by Rite Aid, Walmart and others to dismiss claims alleging that their failure to stop opioids from being diverted for illicit purposes created a public nuisance, saying that counties had shown evidence to back the allegations. “These decisions were of no surprise,” Hunter Shkolnik of Napoli Shkolnik…Read the article

  • Law360 Quotes Hunter Shkolnik on Opioid Multidistrict Case

    Pharmacies launched another attack on the judge overseeing opioid multidistrict litigation, telling the Sixth Circuit on Friday that he has “repeatedly disregarded” federal court rules and should be ordered to follow them. “The chain pharmacies are copying the distributors’ and manufacturers’ plan to delay, delay, delay. That failed for them,” Hunter Shkolnik of Napoli Shkolnik…Read the article

  • Pharmacies Look To Lay Blame on Doctors for Opioid Crisis

    A group of pharmacies led by CVSPharmacy Inc, Walgreen Co. and Walmart Inc. are taking aim at droves of unnamed doctors, saying the Ohio counties suing as part of the sprawling opioid multidistrict litigation are unfairly blaming pharmacies instead of going after physicians for overprescribing the drugs. The pharmacists are bound by law to accept…Read the article

  • Law360 Quotes Hunter Shkolnik on ‘Opioid Babies’ Protection

    Legal guardians of babies born to mothers who took opioids during pregnancy asked the Ohio federal judge overseeing the opioid multidistrict litigation to certify a class for the purpose of medical monitoring, saying Tuesday that the babies are the most vulnerable victims of the opioid crisis. Hunter Shkolnik of Napoli Shkolnik, a top plaintiffs attorney…Read the article

  • Hunter Shkolnik Comments on Proposed Opioid Settlement

    Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.’s proposed $23 billion drug giveaway to settle thousands of U.S. opioid lawsuits will likely cost the company a fraction of that figure due to how it has valued those medicines, according to a Reuters review of pricing data and industry analysts. The deal is “overvalued to make the settlement look better,”…Read the article

  • Hunter Shkolnik Discusses Opioid Global Settlement Potential

    In 2017 Ohio was ranked second in the nation for overdose deaths involving opioids. More than 4,000 people died that year from overdoses. It’s why hundreds of Ohio cities and counties are now part of lawsuits against the largest drug manufacturers and pharmacies. Pharmacy chains will likely face an October 2020 trial for their alleged…Read the article

  • PNS Quotes Hunter Shkolnik on Federal Opioid Class

    In U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, the National Prescription Opiate Litigation is a collection of more than 2,500 lawsuits against manufacturers and others in the drug industry for their alleged roles in the opioid crisis. The judge set a November 22 deadline for jurisdictions to opt out of a Negotiating Class.…Read the article

  • Law360 Quotes Salvatore Badala on NY Opioid Litigation

    The New York attorney general and two Long Island counties will take their suit over the deadly opioid crisis before a jury in January in what could be the second state trial over the epidemic. “Nassau County is excited for their day in court and they look forward to having these defendants in court starting…Read the article

  • Hunter Shkolnik Discusses Teva’s $23 Billion Offer

    Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.’s proposed $23 billion drug giveaway over it’s suggesting to settle the opioid lawsuits against it will likely cost the company a fraction of that figure, according to industry experts. When Teva announced the value of the donated medicine – a generic version of opioid addiction treatment Suboxone – it based the…Read the article

  • Hunter Shkolnik on OxyContin manufacturer’s Million Mansion

    Members of the Sackler family, owners of Oxycontin-maker Purdue Pharma, are buying a sprawling home in Palm Beach County for $7.4million – months before the family business files for bankruptcy. The purchase took place shortly before Purdue Pharma filed for Chapter 11 protection in a bid to resolve 2,600 opioid lawsuits pending against the company.…Read the article

  • Opioid Manufacturer and Distributors Reached Settlement

    As opening statements were about to be made Monday morning in the first Cleveland Federal Court trial in the Nationwide Opioid litigation brought on behalf of more than 2000 cities in counties against drug manufacturers, distributors, and retail pharmacy chains, the bellwether plaintiffs (Cuyahoga and Summit County, Ohio) announced a settlement with McKesson, Amerisource Bergan,…Read the article

  • Hunter Shkolnik on Sackler Family’s Mansion Near Boca Raton

    Members of the Sackler family, owner of OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma, are living near Boca Raton in a sprawling mansion bought for $7.4 million. The purchase is the second real estate investment by the Sacklers in Palm Beach County, a ground zero in the nationwide opioid crisis. The property purchases in Palm Beach County, the…Read the article

  • Hunter Shkolnik Quoted on Possible Overvalued Settlement

    Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd’s proposed $23 billion drug giveaway to settle thousands of U.S. opioid lawsuits will likely cost the company a fraction of that figure due to how it has valued those medicines, according to a Reuters review of pricing data and industry analysts. In interviews with Reuters, lawyers representing local governments in the…Read the article

  • Opioid Settlement Could Set Precedent for California Cases

    Following a major settlement in Ohio this week, California counties could be a step closer to getting the drug industry to pay for damages associated with the opioid epidemic. The nation’s three biggest drug distributors and a major drugmaker reached an 11th-hour, $260 million settlement over the toll of the opioids in two Ohio counties,…Read the article

  • Cuyahoga, Summit counties’ $260 million opioid settlement

    Lead lawyer for Cuyahoga County Hunter J. Shkolnik, partner at Napoli Shkolnik of New York City, said the funds from the case will be used entirely for treatment. “What’s significant is we have brought to Cuyahoga County and my co-counsel with respect to Summit County money now, significant money now, and also it set a…Read the article

  • Reuters Quotes Hunter Shkolnik on Teva Deal

    When Teva announced the value of the donated medicine, a generic version of opioid addiction treatment Suboxone, it based the figure on the drug’s list price, which does not account for significant discounts routinely provided by the drugmaker. If based on the estimated cost to manufacture the drugs, the value could be as low as…Read the article

  • CNBC Quoted Hunter Shkolnik on $23 billion drug giveaway

    In interviews with Reuters, lawyers representing local governments in the opioid litigation said the figure proposed by Teva inflates the real value of the drugs. They said the proposal will not be enough to address a nationwide addiction crisis that has claimed some 400,000 lives over the last two decades. The deal is “overvalued to…Read the article

  • Hunter Shkolnik Quoted on Teva’s Agreement Proposal

    J&J, Teva offer a massive $48B combined to wrap opioid suits, but not all plaintiffs are on board With reports like that in the ether, it’s no wonder some plaintiffs are reticent to sign on to the “framework deal” that includes the Teva and J&J offers, along with additional deals with three drug distributors. Officials in at least four…Read the article

  • Reuters Quotes Hunter Shkolnik on Teva Pharmaceuticals

    In interviews with Reuters, lawyers representing local governments in the opioid litigation said the figure proposed by Teva inflates the real value of the drugs. They said the proposal will not be enough to address a nationwide addiction crisis that has claimed some 400,000 lives over the last two decades. The deal is “overvalued to…Read the article

  • Hunter Shkolnik Quoted on Upcoming US Opioid Trials

    While the nation’s first federal opioid trial ended Monday without an actual trial, the cases drug companies face nationwide are far from over. Attorneys representing the thousands cities and counties in federal court said they intend to pursue their other cases and that negotiations should continue. After talks broke down on Friday with state attorneys…Read the article

  • Historic $260m Opioid Deal

    The deal settles claims brought by Ohio’s Cuya hoga and Summit counties, which had accused the companies of fuelling a nationwide opioid crisis. Some 400,000 US overdose deaths between 1997 and 2017 were linked to opioids, ac cording to government data. The trial was to be a so-called bellwether, or test trial, that was meant…Read the article

  • Opioid Lawsuits Continue Across the U.S.

    The nation’s three biggest drug distributors and a major drugmaker agreed to an eleventh-hour, $260 million settlement Monday over the terrible toll taken by opioids in two Ohio counties, averting the first federal trial over the crisis. Across the U.S., the pharmaceutical industry still faces more than 2,600 other lawsuits over the deadly disaster. Participants…Read the article

  • Physician’s Weekly Reports on $260M Opioid Settlement

    Nationwide, the pharmaceutical industry still faces more than 2,600 other lawsuits over the ongoing opioid abuse epidemic. Participants in those cases said the Ohio deal buys them time to try to work out a nationwide settlement of all claims, the AP said. “People can’t lose sight of the fact that the counties got a very…Read the article

  • USA Today Network Quotes Hunter Shkolnik on Opioid Case

    An Indiana awsuit was filed one day after a tentative settlement was reached in an Ohio lawsuit that was viewed as a harbinger for legal claims filed by more than 2,700 local and state governments. McKesson Corp., Cardinal Health Inc., AmerisourceBergen Corp. — which are also the defendants in the Indiana lawsuit — and drug-maker Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. will pay a…Read the article

  • ABC5 Cleveland Quotes Hunter Shkolnik on Landmark $260M Deal

    Four drug companies have reached a settlement with two northeast Ohio counties to avoid a trial claiming their responsibility for the opioid epidemic. What’s next The settlement does not include the fifth defendant, Walgreens, the drugstore chain who was sued over its own distribution operation. Attorneys for the plaintiffs said Walgreens would be included in…Read the article

  • Opioid Settlement and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries

    What drugs does Teva make?  It specializes primarily in generic drugs. Some of the opioid drugs include oxycodone and fentanyl, which is a synthetic opiate. Another is oxymorphone. Terms of a deal involving McKesson Corp., Cardinal Health Inc., AmerisourceBergen Corp. and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. were expected to be announced later in the day. Cuyahoga County lawyer…Read the article

  • The Delaware Times Reports on $260M Historic Opioid Deal

    Drug distributors AmerisourceBergen, Cardnial Health and McKesson will pay a combined $215 million, said Hunter Shkolnik, a lawyer for Cuyahoga County. Israeli-based drugmaker Teva will contribute $20 million in cash and $25 million worth of generic Suboxone, a drug used to treat opioid addiction.Read the article

  • CBS12 Speaks with Hunter Shkolnik on $260M Opioid Settlement

    Hunter Shkolnik, the attorney who won the settlement for Cuyahoga, is also the lead outside counsel for Palm Beach County in its suit against Big Pharma. “We think we made the first good step, and we’ve set a pretty good benchmark, and I can’t imagine us asking for less if they’re going to wait that…Read the article

  • Castlegar News Reports on $260M Opioid Settlement

    The nation’s three biggest drug distributors and a major drugmaker agreed to an 11th-hour, $260 million settlement over the terrible toll taken by opioids in two Ohio counties, averting the first federal trial over the crisis.Read the article

  • Hunter Shkolnik Speaks with Voice of America on Opioid Deal

    Cuyahoga and Summit counties had brought the lawsuit that accused the four companies of fueling a nationwide opioid crisis. According to U.S. government data, opioids have led to some 400,000 overdose deaths between 1997 and 2017. Lawyers say the settlement will provide local governments with the finances needed to establish opioid-recovery programs.Read the article

  • Hunter Shkolnik On Opiods to US News & World Report

    A $260 million settlement in an opioid lawsuit was reached between two Ohio counties and four drug companies on Monday just hours before opening arguments were to begin in a landmark federal trial over responsibility for the U.S. opioid crisis. The deal contains no admission of wrongdoing by the defendants. And nationwide the pharmaceutical industry…Read the article

  • CBS5 Quotes Hunter Shkolnik on Ohio bellwether settlement

    Across the U.S., the pharmaceutical industry still faces more than 2,600 other lawsuits over the deadly disaster, and participants in those cases said the latest deal buys them time to try to work out a nationwide settlement of all claims. Monday’s deal was struck in the middle of the night, just hours before a jury…Read the article

  • Hunter Shkolnik Quoted on Cuyahoga County Settlement

    The nation’s three biggest drug distributors and a major drugmaker reached a $260 million settlement with two Ohio counties over the deadly havoc wreaked by opioids, just hours before the first federal trial over the crisis was about to begin Monday. The agreement reached calls for the distributors AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson to pay…Read the article

  • Hunter Shkolnik Speak with Law360 About $48B Proposal

    Four attorneys general on Monday unveiled a proposed $48 billion deal with major drug companies — Teva Pharmaceuticals, Johnson & Johnson and the nation’s largest drug distributors — to resolve a wave of opioid-crisis lawsuits. Hunter J. Shkolnik of Napoli Shkolnik PLLC, a top plaintiffs attorney in the MDL, added in an interview late Monday…Read the article

  • Law360 Quotes Hunter Shkolnik on $48B Opioid Deal

    A rapid outburst of opposition to a $48 billion “settlement framework” in opioid-crisis litigation unveiled Monday by four state attorneys general may signal a shift to local governments and states fighting not only with drug companies but also with each other. The backlash from plaintiffs lawyers in the opioid multidistrict litigation and at least one…Read the article

  • $260M Settlement to Avoid Federal Opioid Trial in Ohio

    The agreement, reached shortly after midnight and announced Monday morning, settles claims the counties made against large distribution companies AmerisourceBergen, McKesson, the Ohio-based Cardinal Health and drugmaker Teva Pharmaceuticals. Under the agreement, the three distributors will pay a combined $215 million, while Teva will pay $20 million in cash over between now and 2021. Teva…Read the article

  • 13WTHR NBC: $260m deal to settle opioids lawsuit

    The agreement reached Monday calls for the distributors AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson to pay a combined $215 million, said Hunter Shkolnik, a lawyer for Cuyahoga County. “People can’t lose sight of the fact that the counties got a very good deal for themselves, but we also set an important national benchmark for the others,”…Read the article

  • StreetInsider: $260 million OH opioid settlement

    The distributors, which handle around 90% of U.S. prescription drugs, will pay a combined $215 million immediately. Israel-based drugmaker Teva is paying $20 million in cash and will contribute $25 million worth of Suboxone, an opioid addiction treatment, according to Hunter Shkolnik, an attorney for the counties.Read the article

  • The State: State Lawyers Confident of Opioid Deal

    State attorneys general who are negotiating with drug companies say they’re confident that other state and local governments will sign on to a settlement in principle with five companies over the opioid crisis.Read the article

  • The Irish Times: US Opioid Epidemic & the $260m settlement

    Four large drug companies reached a last-minute $260 million (€233 million) legal settlement over their role in the US opioid addiction epidemic, averting the first federal trial, which was scheduled to start on Monday morning in Cleveland, Ohio. The settlement covers drug distributors AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson and Israel-based drugmake Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, and…Read the article

  • Cincinnati Enquirer Reports on Landmark Opioid Settlement

    Read the article

  • Bloomberg Law: Firm Representing Milwaukee in Opioid Case

    Milwaukee’s city attorney hired New York firm Napoli Shkolnik to represent the city in litigation against drug companies, manufacturers, doctors, and others, to recover costs of battling the state’s opioid crisis. The firm agreed to represent Milwaukee for a contingency fee of 25% and cost reimbursement. (Wisconsin Public Radio)Read the article

  • Law360 Quotes Hunter Shkolnik on OH Opioid MDL Trial

    The Sixth Circuit on Thursday rejected eleventh-hour bids by the Ohio attorney general and drug companies to block an upcoming bellwether trial in multidistrict litigation accusing drugmakers of fueling the opioid crisis, rejecting the state’s arguments that the counties in the case are usurping its authority. “Cuyahoga County is very pleased to see that both writs…Read the article

  • Urban Milwaukee: Council Unamiously Hires Napoli Shkolnik

    The Common Council voted unanimously in favor of legislation that authorizes the City Attorney to hire outside counsel for litigation to recover expenses incurred by the city from the opioid crisis. Napoli Shkolnik, PLLC, has extensive experience representing municipalities and counties in excess of 250 cases seeking damages and remedies in regard to the opioid…Read the article

  • Hunter Shkolnik Quoted on Purdue Family Building Purchase

    Palm Beach County was the epicenter of the opioid crisis. Now it’s home to an office of the family whose company has been blamed for the opioid epidemic. The Sackler family, which owns Purdue Pharma, paid $6.8 million for the Glidden Spina Architecture building, which is in the Palm Beach area. The building purchase was…Read the article

  • Hunter Shkolnik Quoted on Purdue Bankruptcy’s Filing

    Purdue Pharma’s bankruptcy filing Sunday night may not dramatically affect Summit County’s ongoing lawsuit against Big Pharma, attorneys said. The county has engaged outside law firms to try the case, and lead counsel Hunter Shkolnik of New York-based Napoli Shkolnik, PLLC, said they’d known this was coming for a while. Shkolnik said Purdue Pharma was…Read the article

  • Purdue’s Sackler Family Transferring Billions of Dollars

    The New York Attorney General’s Office said Friday it has uncovered roughly $1 billion in wire transfers by the Sackler family, owners of Purdue Pharma, that appear to be an attempt by the family to shield part of its fortune as it defended itself against a myriad of lawsuits alleging it fueled the opioid crisis.…Read the article

  • Hunter Shkolnik Quoted by Legal Reader On Opioid Litigation

    Two Ohio countries, Summit and Cuyahoga, are set to go to trial next month in the consolidated opioid litigation taking place in federal court in Cleveland, Ohio under the direction of Judge Dan Polster, and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost believes this will put the individuals in his state  one that has been hit especially…Read the article

  • The National Law Review Quotes Hunter Shkolnik on Opioids

    The country has its eyes on an Ohio opioid MDL handling more than 2,000 lawsuits brought by more than 1,200 cities, counties, and tribes against drug manufacturers, distributors, and pharmacies. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost recently filed a mandamus petition at the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals to enjoin District Judge Dan Polster from proceeding…Read the article

  • Hunter Shkolnik Quoted on Palm Beach Opioid Litigation

    Hunter Shkolnik, an attorney representing Palm Beach County in its opioid trial, said the legal team doesn’t intend to settle. “We were retained by Palm Beach County to try this case. We’re trial lawyers,”he said. What can happen after this bellwether trial? It’s up to the judge, Shkolnik said. “It’s our belief that the judge…Read the article

  • Fox Business Quotes Hunter Shkolnik On Opioid Litigation

    The state of Oklahoma plans to take Johnson & Johnson to court after a judge ruled the state can try a civil case that would order the company to pay more than $17.5 billion for their alleged role in the opioid crisis. At the end of May, Hunter Shkolnik, a partner at Napoli Shkolnik, told…Read the article

  • NYLJ Speaks With Paul Napoli on NY Judge Opioid Ruling

    A New York judge has allowed a group of consolidated cases brought by several counties and cities in New York to pursue claims against the Sackler family in order to recoup millions of dollars in costs tied to the opioid crisis. In a ruling Friday, Suffolk County Supreme Court Justice Jerry Garguilo found two cities and 31…Read the article

  • Napoli and Badala Comment on Purdue’s Sackler’s with Law360

    The Sackler family members who control Purdue Pharma LP can’t avoid claims they were complicit in alleged company conduct that gave rise to the nationwide opioid epidemic, a New York judge has ruled, finding they must face multidistrict litigation in the state. Salvatore C. Badala of Napoli Shkolnik PLLC, also representing the plaintiffs, said his…Read the article

  • Bloomberg Quotes Paul Napoli on Opioid Ruling

    The billionaire owners of Purdue Pharma LP must face a New York lawsuit claiming they triggered the U.S. opioid epidemic, a judge ruled, handing an early victory to states and local governments seeking to recoup billions of dollars in social costs from the drugs. A state judge on Friday denied the Sacklers’ request to dismiss the lawsuit,…Read the article

  • Law360 Quotes Hunter Shkolnik on Opioid Bellwether Cases

    In March, Judge Polster ruled that BakerHoestetler couldn’t represent Endo in the bellwether cases brought by the city of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County, finding that this nonpublic information “may go to the heart of plaintiffs’ damages claims” and if used “could materially prejudice Cleveland and Cuyahoga County.” “BakerHostetler and Ms. Rendon are unhappy that Judge…Read the article

  • Hunter Shkolnik Speaks with Financial Times About Opioids

    Hunter Shkolnik, a partner at Napoli Shkolnik, is representing hundreds of counties in opioid cases, including one of the first to be tried as part of large multi-district litigation starting in October. He said: “The Insys verdict is a harbinger of very bad things to come for the manufacturers, distributors and pharmacy chains involved in…Read the article

  • Federal Judge Clears Path for Testimony At Opioid Trial

    The ruling by U.S. District Judge Dan Aaron Polster clears the way for testimony at a bellwether trial by Russell Portenoy. “The court concludes Dr. Portenoy’s testimony is too important to the [bellwether] trial, and that exclusion of his testimony is too extreme a sanction under these circumstances,” Judge Polster wrote in rejecting sanctions that…Read the article

  • Big Pharma Opiate Distributor Fined in Federal Court

    Rochester Drug Cooperative, Inc. (RDC), one of the nation’s largest pharmaceutical distributors, was charged by federal prosecutors with conspiracy to distribute controlled narcotics — oxycodone and fentanyl — for non-medical reasons and conspiracy to defraud. RDC is one of the “big pharma” distributors being sued by Schuyler County for fraudulent and negligent marketing and distribution…Read the article

  • Reuters Quotes Hunter Shkolnik On Opioid Litigation

    Plaintiffs’ lawyer Hunter Shkolnik of Napoli Shkolnik, who represents bellwether plaintiff Cuyahoga County, told me the expert witness reports were supposed to remain confidential. “I really don’t see a rational, calculated benefit for defendants from disclosing those numbers,” he said. Shkolnik, who declined to confirm his experts’ damages estimates, said the defense goal appears to be to delay…Read the article

  • Hawaii County Votes to Join Opioid Class Action Lawsuit

    The Hawaiʻi County Council voted to approve Resolution 20-19, authorizing the County to employ a private attorney in litigation against opioid manufacturers “who may be liable to the County of Hawaiʻi for the opioid epidemic”, the measure stated. Any and all compensation to Napoli Shkolnik PLLC and its local counsel, the HI Accident Law Center…Read the article

  • Hawaii County Joins Opioid Class Action Lawsuit

    Hawaii County has jumped into a multi-state class action lawsuit against Big Pharma manufacturers and distributors, seeking compensation for opioid addiction and overdoses on the island. The County Council hired on a contingency basis the New York City-based personal injury law firm Napoli Shkolnik and its local counsel. Attorneys will enter Hawaii County in multi-state…Read the article

  • Associated Press Quotes Hunter Shkolnik on Opioid Lawsuit

    As the nation’s opioid crisis has devastated thousands of families, it also has taken a crippling financial toll on cities, small towns and counties around the country. That cost was acknowledged last week in a settlement between OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma and the state of Oklahoma, a settlement that included $12.5 million for local governments.…Read the article

  • North Country Public Radio on Ogdensburg Opioid Lawsuit

    Several counties and cities in New York are accusing pharmaceutical companies of using false advertising and deceptive marketing practices to minimize the risk of addiction to opioids. The City of Ogdensburg became the latest to join a statewide lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies and distributors of these drugs. City Manager Sarah Purdy advised that the New York…Read the article

  • Ogdensburg (NY) Joins Opioid “Mega-Lawsuit”

    Ogdensburg City Council unanimously voted Monday to enter into an agreement with the law firm of Napoli Shkolnik PLLC to represent Ogdensburg in a coordinated legal action by counties and cities against the manufacturers and distributors of opioids. yers for Napoli Shkolnik, of New York City, are planning to argue in court that so-called “big…Read the article

  • Hunter Shkolnik Speaks with ABC News about Opioid Cases

    As the nation’s opioid crisis has devastated thousands of families, it also has taken a crippling financial toll on cities, small towns and counties around the country. Government officials around the country who have lawsuits pending against the opioid industry said the amount in the Oklahoma settlement was just a fraction of what they need.…Read the article

  • Hunter Shkolnik Quoted in Law360 on Opioid Litigation

    Read the article

  • Reuters Quotes Partner Shkolnik re: Judge’s Opioid Ruling

    U.S. District Judge Dan Polster ruled Wednesday that former Cleveland U.S. Attorney Carole Rendon, now in private practice at Baker & Hostetler, may not represent the pharmaceutical company Endo in two cases in the multi-district litigation accusing opioids defendants of sparking the opioid crisis by misrepresenting the addictiveness of prescription painkillers. Cuyahoga County counsel Hunter…Read the article

  • Amsterdam, NY Joins Opioids Lawsuit

    Amsterdam Common Council members unanimously voted Tuesday to authorize the mayor to enter into an agreement with Napoli Shkolnik, PLLC, for the prosecution of any legal claim against opioid manufacturers and distributors for fraudulent marketing and distribution of the drugs. The city will not pay Napoli Shkolnik any upfront expenses, but the law firm would…Read the article

  • Rochester Joins Opioids Lawsuit

    Joining dozens of other municipalities, Rochester is going up against opioid manufacturers and distributors in the courtroom. Rochester City Council voted Tuesday to allow the city’s corporation counsel to join the lawsuit, which is being handled by New York City law firm Napoli Shkolnik.Read the article

  • Rochester Mayor Wants to Join Opioid Lawsuit

    Dozens of municipalities across the country have taken similar legal action. In New York, Napoli Shkolnik is representing dozens of cities and counties in an effort to combat the “emotional and financial strain” opioids have cost communities, a statement on its website reads. The city attorney would like to retain the New York City law…Read the article

  • Rochester Looking to Join the Opioid Litigation

    Napoli Shkolnik currently represents Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Chemung, Nassau, Niagara, Rensselaer and Schuyler counties in New York, along with a host of other municipalities in West Virginia, Ohio, New Jersey and elsewhere. In material provided to City Council, the firm states that an individual suit would allow the city makes its own decision on any settlement and distribution of…Read the article

  • 3 Maine Opioid Lawsuits Moved to Federal Court

    The Portland, Bangor and Lewiston lawsuits, along with many others, will now be influenced by three “bellwether cases” set to be tried in the Northern District of Ohio next year, said Paul Napoli, a New York-based lawyer for the Maine cities, as well as many others. Settlements in those cases, brought by the city of…Read the article

  • 5 More W. VA Counties Join Opioid Litigation

    Five county commissions, including Monongalia, Marion, Doddridge, Randolph and Upshur, are joining in on dozens of lawsuits filed against Purdue Pharma and many other pharmaceutical companies for the opioid crisis. The commissions claim the defendants put their desire for profits above the interests of the health and well-being of the counties’ residents. The counties are…Read the article

  • Shelby County Moves Forward With Opioid Litigation

    The County Commission unanimously approved a resolution that ends multiple lawsuits involving the pending opioid litigation, an issue that divided the legislative and executive branches of government for much of the past year. Shelby County government will now move forward with one joint opioid lawsuit, supported by the administration and County Commission, in state court.…Read the article

  • Hunter Shkolnik Quoted in Law360 Re: Opioid Bellwethers

    In a motion to dismiss, drugmakers accused Ohio cities and counties of disregarding an April case management order requiring the disclosure of prescriptions that the governments believe were medically unnecessary or medically inappropriate. Hunter Shkolnik of Napoli Shkolnik PLLC, a top attorney for the local governments, fired back on Friday, calling the motion “a ridiculous…Read the article

  • Defendants Try Delay Tactic in Portland (ME) Opioid Lawsuit

    Drug companies are trying to move Portland’s lawsuit over the opioid crisis to a federal court in Ohio – a maneuver lawyers for the city call a stalling tactic. The city is challenging these moves in its effort to keep the case over the mounting financial and human toll of the opioid crisis in a…Read the article

  • Portland, ME Opioid Case Should Remain in Maine

    Portland’s lawsuit over costs associated with opioid addiction maybe heard elsewhere after defendants moved to shift the case from Cumberland County Superior Court to the U.S. District Court of Northern Ohio. Attorney Paul J. Napoli of Napoli Shkolnik in New York City along with local counsel filed a motion to remand, or return the case to Cumberland…Read the article

  • Hunter Shkolnik Quoted in Law360 About Opioid MDL

    A special master appointed to oversee a discovery dispute in multidistrict litigation over the opioid crisis partially granted a request by counties for more information from a McKesson Corp. investigation into suspicious drug order oversight, finding the counties are entitled to witness names but that statements and terms used in the investigation are protected work…Read the article

  • Law360 Quotes Hunter Shkolnik About Opioid Bellwethers

    The drugmakers are taking issue with requirements to produce certain data stretching back to 1996, records related to any schedule II opioids and documents produced previously in any litigation involving the marketing or distribution of opioids. Hunter Shkolnik of Napoli Shkolnik PLLC, a top plaintiffs attorney in the MDL, told Law360 that the (defense) parties…Read the article

  • Opioid Litigation Moves Forward in NY

    The suits claim the businesses fueled the opioid epidemic through a fraudulent marketing campaign that misrepresented the drugs’ safety and effectiveness. They seek compensation for the governmental costs of dealing with opioid addiction, which include higher expenditures on Medicaid, rehabilitation programs, law enforcement and even a greater number of autopsies. Paul Napoli of Manhattan’s Napoli…Read the article

  • NYLJ Quotes Paul Napoli On NY Opioid Litigation

    A New York judge presiding over the state courts’ multicounty opioid litigation in Suffolk County brought on behalf of a coalition of New York counties, which is being closely watched by courts in other jurisdictions around the country, has refused to toss claims against drug distributors. “This is another major victory for New York in…Read the article

  • Westchester, Rockland, Putnam Join Opioid Lawsuit

    The counties sued the drug companies in various lawsuits that were consolidated in Suffolk County Supreme Court, where lawyer Paul Napoli is representing multiple counties, including Westchester and Putnam. “People are dying daily,” he told The Journal News/lohud today. “We’ve tried to impress upon the judge, who takes his job seriously in this situation, the…Read the article

  • Grafton & Sullivan Counties Sign with Napoli Shkolnik Team

    Commissioners in Grafton and Sullivan counties have voted to join a class-action suit that alleges the makers of prescription painkillers gave doctors misleading information about the addictive qualities of the drugs, leading to the opioid epidemic in New Hampshire and elsewhere in the United States. Grafton County Commissioner Linda Lauer said the opioid crisis has…Read the article

  • NY Law Journal Quotes Paul Napoli on Opioid Ruling

    A New York state court judge has refused to dismiss lawsuits against several opioid manufacturers in some of the first substantive rulings to come out of the barrage of cases brought by governments over the prescription painkillers. In a pair of rulings on Monday, Suffolk County Supreme Court Judge Jerry Garguilo rejected motions to dismiss brought…Read the article

  • City of Caribou, Maine Joins Opioid Lawsuit

    Caribou city councilors unanimously voted on May 14 to join a nationwide lawsuit against companies responsible for creating and distributing opiates such as hydrocodone, oxycodone, oxymorphone, and methadone. Specifically, the council’s motion involves authorizing two law firms, Napoli Shkolnik, PLLC of New York, and Trafton, Matzen, Belleau & Frenette, LLP of Auburn to seek legal…Read the article

  • Town Of Lancaster Joins Opioid Litigation

    The Lancaster Town Board formally signed an agreement with Napoli Shkolnik, Attorneys at Law, to bring and sustain a lawsuit against “the manufacturers, distributors, and key opinion leaders” of opioid pain medications, according to a resolution Monday night. According to the New York City-based law office, prescriptions for opioid medications quadrupled from 1999 to 2014,…Read the article

  • Canyon County, Idaho Considers Joining Opioid Lawsuit

    At the second of two meetings with national legal groups, Canyon County commissioners continued to discuss the possibility of joining a growing movement of local governments suing prominent pharmaceutical companies for damages caused by the opioid crisis. Napoli Shkolnik PLLC would provide a team of lawyers and experts to help Canyon County staff gather evidence…Read the article

  • Opioid Distributors: Opioid Crisis Not Our Fault

    As Carroll County mulls suing Big Pharma over costs associated with the opioid crisis, a national trade association has approached County government officials to allege that the nation’s opioid crisis is not of their doing. A local attorney attended the Carroll County Board of Commissioners meeting Wednesday to answer questions regarding a lawsuit. He  said…Read the article

  • Carroll County In a Drug Crisis

    Local attorney Robert Bonsignore attended the Carroll County commissioners meeting Wednesday to answer questions. He said he would be working with Napoli Shkolnik PLLC, which has offices nationwide. He said Strafford County and other counties and cities across the U.S. have expressed interest. More than 100 cases have been filed already. The Conway Daily Sun…Read the article

  • Belknap County Considers Joining Opioid Lawsuit

    Belknap County Attorney Andrew Livernois has recommended that the county join a lawsuit against the pharmaceutical companies that made drugs such as OxyContin and hydrocodone. Livernois told Belknap County Commissioners last week that the county should join other communities in the state that have already signed on with the New York City law firm Napoli…Read the article

  • City of Keene: Opioid Crisis Costs Hundreds of Thousands

    Keene is not, in fact, claiming that the opioid crisis has cost the city millions of dollars per year. The correct estimate is in the hundreds of thousands, City Attorney Thomas P. Mullins said Wednesday. Mullins arrived at the rough cost estimate after talking to other city officials, including in the fire and police departments,…Read the article

  • Opioid Research Institute Quotes Paul and Marie Napoli

    Almost all the suits in the MDL seek reimbursement for increased opioid-related costs imposed by the epidemic, including, for instance, first-responder and Narcan costs, emergency room care, neonatal care, foster care, expanded morgue space, and body bags. “It’s truly cradle-to-grave expenses,” plaintiffs lawyer Marie Napoli said. Polster’s other key act last week was ordering the…Read the article

  • City of Keene Suing Big Pharma Over Opioid Epidemic

    The city of Keene has sued about a dozen pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors over their alleged role in causing the opioid-abuse epidemic, joining hundreds of states, counties and cities that have filed similar lawsuits. The lawsuit claims the drug makers and distributors used deceptive marketing practices to push the use of prescription opioids for chronic…Read the article

  • Palm Beach County: Opioid Epidemic A Public Nuisance

    “The purpose of the ordinance is to declare the opioid epidemic a public nuisance and to provide a mechanism for Palm Beach County to recover taxpayer’s costs incurred as a result of this epidemic,” Palm Beach County Attorney Denise Nieman told The Post. The suit alleges that the costs of the epidemic have been steep…Read the article

  • Palm Beach County Suing Drugmakers Over Opioids

    New York’s Napoli Shkolnik and Stull, Stull & Brody and the Ferraro Law Firm in Miami filed suit along with the county attorney’s office. The county is seeking to recover damages for use of public resources to fight the opioid crisis. The lawsuit focuses on the growing problem of people becoming addicted to prescription painkillers,…Read the article

  • Portland, ME Files Lawsuit Against Opioid Manufacturers

    The City of Portland said it filed a lawsuit against the manufacturers and distributors of opioids in response to the growing opioid epidemic in the city. The defendants include Purdue Pharmaceuticals and its affiliates, Cephalon, Johnson & Johnson, Janssen Pharmaceuticals and its affiliates, Endo Pharmaceuticals and its affiliates, Actavis and its affiliates, Watson Laboratories, Mallinckrodt,…Read the article

  • Portland, Maine Part of Opioid Lawsuit Against Big Pharma

    Portland officials filed their lawsuit Thursday afternoon in Cumberland County Superior Court. The city’s seeking damages from drug makers and some doctors involved in distribution of the drugs. The city of Portland (Maine) says in a statement its lawsuit’s in response to “the substantial impact, including the loss of lives, that the opioid epidemic has…Read the article

  • Palm Beach County Joined Opioid Litigation

    Palm Beach County has joined a growing list of local governments accusing drug makers, distributors and pharmacies of putting profits ahead of the public’s health and fueling an opioid epidemic that has cost taxpayers millions of dollars. About 600 people died of opioid overdoses in Palm Beach County this past year, making it one of…Read the article

  • Portland, ME Suing Pharma Companies Over Opioids

    Maine’s largest city is suing a host of pharmaceutical companies over the toll of the nationwide opioid abuse epidemic locally. Portland officials filed their lawsuit Thursday afternoon in Cumberland County Superior Court. The city’s seeking damages from drug makers and some doctors involved in distribution of the drugs. The city is being represented by an…Read the article

  • Otsego County Hires Napoli Shkolnik For Opioid Litigation

    The Otsego County Board of Representatives voted to unanimously to hire the law firm of Napoli Shkolnik to handle a potential lawsuit against the manufactures and distributors of prescription opioids. Napoli Shkolnik is a New York City firm that specializes in opioids cases.Read the article

  • Augusta, Maine Considering Joining Opioid Litigation

    Augusta city councilors on Thursday are expected to decide whether the city should join with other municipalities and counties in a lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies over claims that information was withheld information about how addictive their drugs could be. Drug overdoses killed a record 418 Mainers last year, an 11 percent increase over the 376…Read the article

  • Leading Pain Doctors Face Opioid Lawsuits

    Four of the nation’s leading pain doctors, who spearheaded a medical movement to treat chronic pain with opioid drugs, have been named as co-defendants in scores of lawsuits filed by cities and counties against opioid manufacturers. The lawsuits allege that the doctors allowed themselves to be used by manufacturers, as part of a false, industrywide…Read the article

  • Cattaraugus County Declares Opioid Epidemic A Nuisance

    The Cattaraugus County Legislature on Wednesday officially declared the county’s heroin/opioid epidemic a public nuisance. The measure, which passed 14-0 with one abstention, is titled, “Local Law Declaring the Opioid Epidemic and Its Effects on Cattaraugus County A Public Nuisance and Establishing a Cost Recovery Procedure for the County’s Expenditures Incurred in Providing Services Related…Read the article

  • Town of Cheektowaga, NY Set To Join Opioid Lawsuit

    The Town of Cheektowaga is following a national trend and will be filing a lawsuit against the manufacturers of opioid drugs because they say their negligence has led to the heroin epidemic. Town lawmakers say the drug manufacturers, distributors, and key opinion leaders have violated New York’s General Business Law in creating this public health…Read the article

  • Summit County Files Lawsuit Against Big Pharma

    The lawsuit claims Summit County has been forced to spend a significant amount of money to combat the opioid epidemic locally, similar to the argument that is being made in hundreds of other cases. The three legal firms representing the county, including Napoli Shkolnik PLLC, are working on a contingency fee agreement and will only…Read the article

  • Strongsville, OH Suing Opioid Manufacturers and Distributors

    The city of Strongsville is following the example of the state of Ohio and other communities in suing the manufacturers and distributors of prescription painkillers. Like other lawsuits filed against the prescription pain killer drug makers, Strongsville’s lawsuit will now seek a specific monetary compensation, leaving the sought after total unspecified. It says the compensation…Read the article

  • Summit County Joins Opioid Litigation

    In addition to its own attorneys, Summit County has brought on private counsel from law firms Napoli Shkolnik PLLC, of New York City, and Dewsnup King Olsen Worel Havas & Mortensen, and Magleby Cataxinos & Greenwood, both of Salt Lake City. The attorneys are working on a contingency, meaning they would only be paid from…Read the article

  • Manatee County Joining Local Gov’ts Suing in Opioid Crisis

    Manatee County, the epicenter of the opioid epidemic in Florida, will join the growing number of local governments in Florida suing drug makers to recover some of what the county has paid for everything from the drugs that reverse the effects of an overdose to autopsies. Commissioners unanimously voted to direct County Attorney Mickey Palmer…Read the article

  • Kennebec County Joins Nationwide Opioid Lawsuit

    The Kennebec county commissioners voted Tuesday to sign on to a nationwide lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies that make and distribute opioids, a decision already made by several municipal and county governments in Maine. The allegations in the lawsuit – being brought by Napoli Shkolnik PLLC of New York City and by Trafton, Matzen, Belleau &…Read the article

  • Forbes Quotes Paul Napoli On Opioid Crisis

    The judge’s decision not to stay the lawsuits increases the pressure on manufacturers and wholesalers to either win dismissal of these cases or prepare for an accelerated trial schedule. Under New York law, municipal plaintiffs have priority in setting their cases for trial, said Paul Napoli of Napoli Shkolnik, the private law firm representing many of…Read the article

  • Palm Beach County Selects Napoli Shkolnik for Opioid Lawsuit

    Palm Beach County has joined a growing legal battle against drug companies to recoup the costs of fighting an opioid epidemic that is killing more than 1,000 people every year in South Florida. Commissioners voted 4-2 Tuesday to select a legal team consisting of The Ferraro Law Firm; Napoli Shkolnik PLLC; and Stull, Stull &…Read the article

  • Cattaraugus County: Opioid Crisis A Public Nuisance ?

    Cattaraugus County lawmakers will hold a public hearing on a proposed local law declaring the heroin/opioid crisis, which has gripped the county for the past several years, a public nuisance. County officials have been advised that declaring the epidemic a public nuisance may make it easier to recover costs incurred in the epidemic from a…Read the article

  • Genesee County Propose Opioid Public Nuisance Law

    County leaders Wednesday will take public comments on a proposed local law to declare the local opioid epidemic a public nuisance and figure out a cost-recovery procedure for the amount the county spends on services to fight the crisis. The cost-recovery law is being considered in connection with Genesee County being among a list of…Read the article

  • Maine County Passes Order: Opioid Epidemic A Public Nuisance

    After last month joining a growing list of Maine municipalities and counties that are part of a nationwide lawsuit against opioid manufacturers, Androscoggin County commissioners passed an order claiming the opioid epidemic is a public nuisance. The order, requested by the attorneys representing communities throughout the country, puts the county on record saying that the…Read the article

  • Mountain Brook Hires Napoli Shkolnik For Opioid Litigation

    The Mountain Brook Council Members approved a resolution authorizing the mayor to execute a contingency fee agreement between Napoli Shkolnik PLLC, Edmond, Lindsay & Hoffier, LLP, Perkins-Law, LLC, and Riley & Jackson, P.C. (collectively, “Law Firm”) to represent the city in the prosecution of legal claims against manufacturers and distributors of opioids arising out of…Read the article

  • Cattaraugus County Consider Opioid Law

    Cattaraugus County lawmakers will hold a public hearing Wednesday on a proposed local law declaring the heroin/opioid crisis, which has gripped the county for the past several years, a public nuisance. The county has retained the New York City personal injury law firm Napoli Shkolnik, which represents Niagara County and several other counties across the…Read the article

  • Strongsville, OH Considering Joining Opioid Lawsuit

    Under a proposed ordinance, which City Council placed on first reading last week, the city would hire Climaco, Wilcox, Peca & Garofoli Co. LPA, a Cleveland law firm, and Napoli Shkolnik PLLC in New York City to represent Strongsville in the legal action. If council approves the ordinance, Strongsville would follow in the footsteps of…Read the article

  • Schuyler County: Opioid Epidemic A ‘Public Nuisance’

    The County Legislature voted in August to retain the firm of Napoli Shkolnik, PLLC to file the lawsuit on its behalf.  Napoli Shkolnik will work with Getman, as special counsel. County Administrator Tim O’Hearn said the lawsuit will be filed at no risk to the county, as Napoli Shkolnik will work on contingency basis that…Read the article

  • National Law Journal Quotes Paul Napoli On Opioid Litigation

    Following two months of settlement talks, a federal judge overseeing hundreds of opioid lawsuits has allowed lawyers to proceed with some discovery and motion filings. “Judge Garguilo has recognized—and as recently as last week talked about —the discovery needs to be ongoing so that the parties understand the information that’s out there to be able…Read the article

  • Palm Beach County Selecting Firm For Opioid Lawsuit

    Napoli Shkolnik, PLLC of New York, The Ferraro Law Firm, P.A. of Miami, and Stull, Stull & Brody, also of New York are among the three teams of law firms who have emerged as the finalists to represent Palm Beach County if the county files suit against drug makers or sellers as part of its fight…Read the article

  • Amherst Going After Pharmaceutical Industry

    The Town of Amherst is joining other local governments in going after the pharmaceutical industry for harmful effects of the opioid epidemic linked to addictive painkillers. So that’s why the town has struck out on its own to hire a New York City based law firm Napoli Shkolnik to file suit in Erie County State…Read the article

  • Amherst Joins Fight Against Opioid Crisis

    New York City-based law firm, Napoli Shkolnik PLLC has been retained to represent the Town of Amherst in its lawsuit against major manufacturers and distributors of opioid pain medication. The suit seeking damages is expected to be filed in State Supreme Court accusing the companies of public nuisance, fraud, negligence and unfair business practices in the wake…Read the article

  • Town of Amherst Hires Napoli Shkolnik for Opioid Lawsuit

    The Town of Amherst, NY is suing drug companies as part of the fight against the overdose epidemic. Town officials say emergency services are being stretched thin and overdoses are straining resources for the police department, fire department and first responders. Monday the town board hired a New York City law firm, Napoli Shkolnik, PLLC, in…Read the article

  • Warren County Files Lawsuit Against Opioid Makers

    Warren County has filed a lawsuit against companies and people its lawyers blame for the opioid addiction epidemic, claiming that the county and local businesses have paid millions of dollars to counteract the crisis and that the county should be compensated. Many county supervisors say the settlement can be used to help agencies that are…Read the article

  • Sanford in Maine Joins Opioid Lawsuit

    The human toll as well as the financial toll on city services prompted the Sanford City Council to enter into an agreement with a New York law firm, Napoli Shkolnik PLLC, to join a lawsuit against opioid manufacturers and distributors. According to City Manager Steve Buck, Napoli Shkolnik is a world renowned law firm, best…Read the article

  • Franklin County joins lawsuit against opioid makers

    County legislators said that they had also met with two other law firms to interview them about joining the lawsuit. Napoli-Shkolnik was eventually chosen in part due to the larger number of their clients in the suit — which would help alleviate payments for expert witnesses and other expenses by sharing the costs between them…Read the article

  • Public Hearings on Opioid Nuisance Law

    A proposed local law declaring the opioid epidemic in Cattaraugus County a public nuisance was approved by two county legislature committees Wednesday. County lawmakers will vote next Wednesday to set a public hearing on the local law for March 14. Cattaraugus County has already engaged outside counsel, Napoli Scholnik of New York City, to represent…Read the article

  • Cayuga County Hires Napoli Shkolnik in Opioid Litigation

    The Cayuga County Legislature’s Ways and Means committee passed a resolution hiring the New York City law firm Napoli Shkolnik PLLC to represent the county in litigation against opioid manufacturers. Cayuga County would join Onondaga County and about a dozen others on the class-action lawsuit.Read the article

  • Franklin County Considers Suing Opioid Makers

    Attorneys Joe Ciaccio and Sal Badala of the law firm Napoli Shkolnik PLLC explained the ins and outs of suing pharmaceutical companies. They intend to prove that the drug companies purposely lied to doctors and the public, saying opioid pain medications were not addictive and were safe for long-term use.Read the article

  • Cumberland County Suing Opioid Manufacturers, Distributors

    Cumberland County is the latest to join a number of governments suing opioid manufacturers and distributors for allegedly misleading the public and medical community about the dangers of using opioids. They are being represented by Napoli Shkolnik PLLC.Read the article

  • Cumberland County Joins Opioid Lawsuit

    Napoli Shkolnik PLLC is representing the county and several other municipalities that have filed similar cases.Read the article

  • Niagara County: Opioids Are A “Public Nuisance”

    In June 2017, the legislature voted to pursue litigation against those pharmaceutical companies. Representing the county is Napoli Shkolnik, PLLC, a Manhattan-based law firm that is representing dozens of other New York State counties in similar lawsuits. ” The opioid distributors failed in their duty to report what were obviously very suspicious orders,” Napoli Shkolnik Senior…Read the article

  • Law360 Quotes Hunter Shkolnik on Opioid Litigation

    Hunter Shkolnik of Napoli Shkolnik PLLC, who represents plaintiffs in the MDL, said that at this point in the epidemic — which caused average U.S. life expectancy to drop in 2015 and 2016, according to federal researchers — no company will want to be the one that keeps marketing opioids directly to physicians. “I think…Read the article

  • Cumberland County Sues Opioid Companies

    The Board of Commissioners approved the lawsuit on Monday.  The law firm of Napoli Shkolnik PLLC filed the suit on behalf of the county. Napoli Shkolnik also represents York County and other municipalities in similar cases.Read the article

  • Osceola County Sues Big Pharma

    Joseph Ciaccio, an attorney with the New York-based law firm Napoli Shkolnik, signed professional service contracts with both Osceola and Alachua counties. His firm represents more than 100 other counties nationwide in state-level litigation.Read the article

  • City of Gary Seeks Recovery of Opioid-Related Costs

    Napoli Shkolnik PLLC, on behalf of the City of Gary, filed a complaint in Lake County Superior Court at the end of last month. The complaint sees to recover damages for use of public resources to fight the opioid epidemic.Read the article

  • City of Saco Maine Files Opioid Lawsuit

    The Saco City Council voted to engage the services of law firms Napoli Shkolnik, PLLC of New York City and Trafton, Matzen, Belleau and Frenette of Auburn.Read the article

  • Osceola County Joins Opioid Legal Action

    “There’s been a dramatic spike in overdose deaths [in Osceola],” Hunter Shkolnik of Napoli Shkolnik PLLC said. “I think this is an epidemic that needs to be stopped, and these companies are not going to stop doing what they’re doing until they’re brought to their knees. I think we’re in the best position to do…Read the article

  • Westchester County Suing Drug Manufacturers & Distributors

    Attorney Paul Napoli said the drug companies “negligently market to doctors. They changed the story about science to try to expand the number of people that were going to be their customers.”Read the article

  • Westchester County Suing Opioid Makers, Distributors

    Westchester County filed a lawsuit on Tuesday, February 6th. Represented by Napoli Shkolnik, the County seeks to recover money from the manufacturers and distributors of the highly addictive painkillers.Read the article

  • Westchester County Is Represented by Napoli Shkolnik

    For the lawsuit, the county is being represented by and is partnering with the firm of Napoli Shkolnik PLLC. “We are committed to working with the county in their fight against the makers of these dangerous and addictive painkillers,” said Paul J. Napoli of Napoli Shkolnik.Read the article

  • Alachua County Joins Lawsuit Over Opioid Epidemic

    Senior Associate Joseph L. Ciaccio said Alachua County’s legal action is a step in ending the opioid epidemic. “I think it would be very hard to find anywhere in Florida that hasn’t been severely affected by the flooding of opioid prescriptions,” he said. “Across the country, there is enough for basically every American to have…Read the article

  • Law360: Opioid MDL, Hunter Shkolnik’s Viewpoint

    Hunter Shkolnik of Napoli Shkolnik PLLC, a member of the plaintiffs’ executive committee, said Judge Polster also appeared to be moved by a speaker — Armond Budish, the executive of Cuyahoga County, Ohio — who urged a reduction in opioid sales and more funding for addiction treatment. “I think the judge took these types of…Read the article

  • New York Cities Are Joining the Opioid Lawsuit

    In New York, Suffolk was the first county to file suit. All other counties and cities filing have been ordered to coordinate their suits via a Suffolk County judge, said Joe Ciaccio, associate with Napoli Shkolnik, a New York-based law firm representing counties across the state and nation.Read the article

  • Prince George’s County: Opioid Manufacturers Created Crisis

    “This case is about one thing: corporate greed,” the suit, filed by Napoli Shkolnik, said. “Defendants put their desire for profits above the health and well-being of Prince George’s County consumers at the cost of plaintiff.”Read the article

  • Prince George’s County Taking Opioid Industry to Court

    The suit will be led by New York-based law firm Napoli Shkonik.Read the article

  • Prince George’s County Suing Opioid Manufacturers

    The county plans to go after Purdue Pharma in addition to other manufacturers and distributors, said Paul Napoli of Napoli Shkolnik, PLLC. He added that the county will look at tobacco litigation as a model for the lawsuit.Read the article

  • Prince George’s County Announces Opioid Lawsuit

    Prince George’s County Chief Executive Rushern Baker, along with other local officials, has hired the firm of Napoli Shkolnik, PLLC, to serve as legal counsel, according to a county statement.Read the article

  • City of Broadview Heights Hires Napoli Shkolnik

    The Broadview Heights City Council has asked Napoli Shkolnik PLLC in New York City and a local Cleveland law firm to represent them in the opioid legal action.Read the article

  • Saratoga County Filed Opioid Lawsuit

    The county, which announced plans to pursue the lawsuit three months ago, chose New York City-based law firm Napoli Shkolnik PLLC as its legal representation.Read the article

  • Saratoga County Declares Opioids A ‘Public Nuisance’

    This week’s resolution follows a separate action taken last October, when the supervisors agreed in a special meeting to join a lawsuit filed by the New York City law firm Napoli Shkolnik related to the widespread distribution of opioids in multiple states.Read the article

  • Discovery to Proceed in NY Counties Opioid Litigation

    In an interview, Paul Napoli said Suffolk County Supreme Court Justice’s Jerry  Garguilo’s ruling was a major victory for the plaintiff’s and that in his 25 years in practice, he had never seen a judge take the extra step of lifting a stay discovery with dismissal motions pending. “It’s a means to an end of…Read the article

  • Paul and Marie Napoli Interviewed in BloombergView

    It began about a year and a half ago, when prominent plaintiff’s firms, including Napoli Shkolnik PLLC, began filing lawsuits against opioid manufacturers and distributors.Read the article

  • Partners Shkolnik and Sacks Speak About DeKalb County

    Shayna Sacks, a partner with the firm representing DeKalb County, said opioid manufacturers have been dishonest to the public. Added Hunter Shkolnik, “There will be no cost to the DeKalb County taxpayers with this filing. Our office is committed to working with the county in its efforts to combat the devastation these painkillers continue to…Read the article

  • Biddeford, Maine Joins Lawsuit Against Opioid Makers

    The Biddeford Council voted for a resolution to authorize the City Manager to retain Napoli Shkolnik.Read the article

  • Shayna Sacks on WUGA Live Radio Regarding Opioid Crisis

    “Addiction to opioids is something that’s devastating communities across the country,” according Shayna Sacks, a partner at Napoli Shkolnik PLLC.Read the article

  • ABC Affiliate (KTBS-3) Quotes Hunter Shkolnik

    “This is not a new thing. The opioid problem has been around for quite some time, but it’s now reached epidemic proportions,” said Hunter Shkolnik. In December, Shreveport City Council approved the final passage of a resolution authorizing a retainer agreement with Napoli Shkolnik, PLLC and Kenneth M. Carter, APLC. They will serve as joint…Read the article

  • Children Blame Medical Providers for Mom’s Opioid Overdose

    Naomi Lutes and Joshua Hayden filed a complaint on Nov. 28 in the St. Louis 22nd Judicial Circuit Court against Brain D. Dieterle MD, Russell Chlysta MD, Walgreens Co., Walmart and others, alleging that they breached their duties to use the degree of skill and learning ordinarily used by a careful and prudent medical care…Read the article

  • Putnam County Joins Lawsuit Against Pharmaceutical Companies

    The law firm of Napoli Shkolnik PLLC will represent Putnam County’s interests in the New York Opioid Cost Recovery litigation. Filing a lawsuit also allows the County to be in the driver’s seat and control its own destiny, We have the power to determine whether to accept a settlement and how any recovery would be…Read the article

  • Nashau Second NH City To Join Opioid Litigation

    Joseph Ciaccio, a senior associate with Napoli Shkolnik who is involved in both cases, said the goal of the Nashua lawsuit is also the same as Manchester’s: to compensate the city both for the damage already done by opioids as well as for future cleanup it will need to keep doing in the years to…Read the article

  • Prince George’s County Hires Napoli Shkolnik

    Peterson said the county has now hired law firm Napoli Shkolnik LLC to explore a potential lawsuit against the companies pumping opioids into the market.Read the article

  • DeKalb County Joins Lawsuit Against Opioid Companies

    “The pharmaceutical companies, manufacturers and distributors cannot continue to mislead the public,” Shayna E. Sacks, a partner at the firm representing DeKalb, Napoli Shkolnik, said in a news release. “This suit will hold big pharma accountable for the damage they have caused this community.”Read the article

  • Putnam County Signs Opioid Lawsuit Resolution

    Napoli Shkolnik PLLC will represent Putnam County’s interests in the New York Opioid Cost Recovery litigation. This crisis is only growing and as government officials, we need to do all we can to combat the violence and unnecessary death attributed to this crisis, In order to fight this growing epidemic, we must improve prevention, increase…Read the article

  • Lorain County Files Opioid Lawsuit

    The lawsuit was filed in Lorain County Common Pleas Court on Wednesday by attorneys representing the county two weeks after the county commissioners announced they had hired Napoli Shkolnik, a law firm based in New York, as outside counsel on the matter.Read the article

  • York County Looking to Recoup Opioid-Related Costs

    “The economic drain on the county is ongoing and we hope to recover funds for York so they can continue to rebuild their community,” said Napoli Shkolnik Senior Associate Joseph Ciaccio, one of the lawyers representing the county.Read the article

  • York County Also Suing Doctors for Opioid Epidemic

    Officials in York County say the opioid epidemic has cost the county greatly. Now, the county wants the money it lost from the crisis back. “Whether it’s the criminal justice, whether it’s through the treatment system, whether it’s Children and Youth, whether it’s the coroner’s office from handling the number of deaths,” he said.Read the article

  • Lake County Joins Fight Against Opioid Epidemic

    This case is about one thing: corporate greed,” the 258-page suit begins. “Defendants put their desire for profits above the health and well-being of the County of Lake consumers at the cost of (residents).” The suit was filed December 11th.Read the article

  • The Verdict Newsletter – Winter 2017-2018

    In this issue, we discuss several new court appointments for our key attorneys: Paul Napoli’s appointment as Co-Lead Counsel in the New York Opioid Cost Recovery Litigation Hunter Shkolnik’s appointment as Co-Liaison Counsel in the Flint Water Crisis Litigation Shayna Sacks’s appointment to the Plaintiff’s Steering Committee in the nationwide Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPI) Litigation Senior…Read the article

  • York County Joins Opioid Litigation

    The county has retained New York law firm Napoli Shkolnik PLLC, which represents close to 70 counties and cities pursuing pharmaceutical companies. A senior associate at the firm, Joseph Ciaccio, said York County will pay nothing. If there is a resolution or agreement reached, the firm would take a percentage of the settlement. Such cases can take…Read the article

  • York County Suing 25 Opioid Manufacturers/Distributors

    To handle the lawsuit, York County has retained New York-based law firm Napoli Shkolnik PLLC, County Solicitor Glenn Smith said, adding “there will be no cost to York County taxpayers with filing and litigation of this matter.”Read the article

  • York County Files Lawsuit Against Opioid Industry

    York County has hired Napoli Shkolnik PLLC, a New York law firm representing more than 70 municipalities that have file suit against pharmaceutical companies, according to the YDR’s report.Read the article

  • Ashtabula County Says Opioid Case About “Corporate Greed”

    Ashtabula County Prosecutor Nicholas Iarocci will be joined by several outside law firms in the case, including Napoli Shkolnik of New York, which has been involved in nearly every major suit involving several pharmaceutical entities over the last two decades, according to a release from county officials.Read the article

  • Lake County Joins Opioid Litigation

    Lake County officials are moving ahead with plans to sue opioid manufacturers, wholesale distributors and pill mill doctors. The Lake County commissioners on Dec. 5 passed a resolution asking the Lake County Common Pleas Court to allow the hiring of an outside counsel to handle the litigation. Under the national counsel of New-York based Napoli…Read the article

  • 155 Opioid Lawsuits Consolidated to Northern Ohio

    Multi district judges consolidated 155 opioid suits from 25 courts on Dec. 5, and chose District Judge Dan Polster of the Northern District of Ohio in Cleveland to preside over them. Napoli Shkolnik Partner Hunter Shkolnik of New York City, representing three Ohio cities, recommended Polster at the panel’s hearing on November 30, 2017. Napoli…Read the article

  • Forsyth County (GA) Joins Opioid Lawsuit

    Napoli Shkolnik is filing suit on behalf of municipalities, states/attorney generals, individuals and unions against the drug manufacturers, distributors, prescribers and pharmacies. Purdue Pharma manufactures OxyContin and Dilaudid, among others, and has generated from $2 to $3 billion annually in sales of OxyContin alone. Napoli Shkolnik Partner Shayna Sacks said they are the “grandparent” of…Read the article

  • Putnam County Opioid Lawsuit Moving Forward

    Putnam County Attorney Jennifer Bumgarner said the lawsuit will not cost the county anything, because the firm that many neighboring counties have hired, and which advised Putnam officials — Napoli Shkolnik, based in New York City — is working on a contingency basis, meaning it will be paid from any settlement. “They have absolutely agreed…Read the article

  • Waterville Considers Joining Opioid Lawsuit

    The  Waterville council will be asked to authorize City Manager Michael Roy and City Solicitor Bill Lee to engage the services of Napoli Shkolnik PLLC, of New York City, and Trafton, Matzen, Belleau & Frenette LLP, of Auburn, on behalf of the city “with respect to prosecution of any legal claims against manufacturers and distributors…Read the article

  • Putnam County Fighting Back Against Opioid Epidemic

    Putnam County is one of countless municipalities that have been hit hard by the drug epidemic that’s swept across the United States at a breathtaking rate. Now, Putnam is punching back against the drug companies that county officials believe contributed to the crisis by hiring Napoli Shkolnik PLLC.Read the article

  • Lorain County Ready to Sue Opioid Makers

    The Lorain County commissioners voted in favor of hiring Napoli Shkolnik, a law firm based in New York City, as outside counsel to represent the county.Read the article

  • Monroe County Likely To Join Opioid Litigation

    Monroe County is likely to announce in the next few weeks that it will join the list of New York counties — most recently Livingston — looking to recoup some of the money they say they’ve spent on law enforcement, treatment and family court services related to opioids by suing the companies that make and promote the medication. Many…Read the article

  • Napoli Shkolnik Unanimously Voted to Represent Putnam County

    Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell, who is president of the New York Association of Counties, said governments should take a page from the tobacco lawsuits of the 1990s and collectively go after the source of the prescription opioid epidemic—the pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors— and hold them accountable.Read the article

  • Napoli Shkolnik Represents Putnam County (NY): Opioid Fight

    At a special full legislature meeting held on Tuesday, Nov. 21, the Legislature voted 8-0 to have the law firm of Napoli Shkolnik PLLC to represent Putnam County’s interests in the New York Opioid Cost Recovery litigation.Read the article

  • Rockdale County Joins Opioid Fight

    The Rockdale County Board of Commissioners approved a contract with Napoli Shkolnik PLLC of New York to serve as the county’s attorney in any legal action related to the opioid epidemic.Read the article

  • Henry County Moves Forward With Napoli Shkolnik

    The Henry County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution authorizing the employment of the New York firm of Napoli Shkolnik PLLC as well as the Atlanta firm of Edmond, Lindsay & Hoffler LLP.Read the article

  • NYLJ Publishes Opioid Article by Paul & Marie Napoli

    Paul and Marie outline the background and what lead to the opioid crisis and then explain how the proposed claims will move forward.Read the article

  • Lake County Considers Joining Opioid Suit

    The costs are everywhere: coroner’s office, first responders, children services. Now, Lake County commissioners are considering following the footsteps of other counties — including Cuyahoga County — and filing a lawsuit against manufacturers, wholesale distributors and so-called “pill mill” doctors who prescribed medications inappropriately or for non-medical reasons. With their national counsel New-York based Napoli Shkolnik, Gallucci…Read the article

  • Yates County and Napoli Shkolnik Target Big Pharma

    Yates County has joined other New York State municipalities in engaging a legal firm for representation for a potential lawsuit against big pharmaceutical companies for aggressive marketing of opioids. The firm, Napoli Shkolnik is in the process of filing lawsuits on behalf of cities and counties against the manufacturers and distributors of opioid pain medications.Read the article

  • Warren County Selects Napoli Shkolnik for Opioid Lawsuit

    The county board’s Finance Committee voted unanimously to hire New York City firm Napoli Shkolnik PLLC, which is handling cases against drugmakers, distributors, “big box” pharmacies and physicians in New York and around the country.Read the article

  • Forsyth County Considers Joining Opioid Litigation

    The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners heard a presentation Nov. 7 by Shayna Sacks, a partner with Napoli Shkolnik PLLC, which is part of the group pursuing a lawsuit on behalf of local governments seeking damages to cover the costs associated with the drug epidemic. The award would help cover expenses associated with substance abuse…Read the article

  • Shayna Sacks Meets With Forsyth County About Opioid Suit

    Forsyth County officials will study the possibility of becoming part of an expected wave of lawsuits targeting the pharmaceutical industry over the manufacture and distribution of opioids. The Board of Commissioners heard a presentation from Shayna Sacks with the Napoli Shkolnik law firm, who said they’re working with about 40 local governments preparing lawsuits alleging…Read the article

  • Newton County (GA) Considers Joining Opioid Lawsuit

    Partner Shayna E. Sacks of Napoli Shkolnik PLLC met with Newton County Board of Commissioner’s to discuss representation for the opioid crisis. Ms. Sacks told commissioners prescription opioid abuse costs in the United States are about $55.7 billion annually. She added that big corporations respond to lawsuits. Her firm represents municipalities, counties, states, individuals, unions and…Read the article

  • Trumbull County (OH) Hires Napoli Shkolnik for Opioid Suit

    The state of Ohio, Dayton, Parma, Lorain, Toledo and Richland County Children Services are some of the communities that have filed suit against companies in the opioid pain pill business. Napoli Shkolnik represents others in New York, Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky, Georgia, Tennessee Louisiana, Texas and New Mexico.Read the article

  • Forsyth (GA) County Considers Napoli Shkolnik: Opioid Suit

    “Basically, the stem of the lawsuit has to do with negligence,” Shayna E. Sacks, a partner at Napoli Shkolnik PLLC said. “The pharmaceutical companies, manufacturers and the distributors have a duty to pay attention to what they’re doing; they can’t just sell medication — medication as strong as this — and not have any consequences.”Read the article

  • Henry County Hires Napoli Shkolnik for Opioid Litigation

    Henry County commissioners on Tuesday voted to hire two law firms, including Napoli Shkolnik PLLC, to represent Henry County in litigation related to opioid arrests. The two firms offered to represent the county and have active claims around the country, including Georgia, against manufacturers, distributors and dispensers.Read the article

  • Manatee County Considering Opioid Lawsuit

    Manatee County is considering hiring outside law firm Napoli Shkolnik to potentially sue opioid manufacturers and distributors, County Attorney Mickey Palmer said Tuesday.Read the article

  • Auburn City Council: Joining Opioid Lawsuit

    The City Council voted to join a national lawsuit, forwarded by Napoli Shkolnik, against manufacturers and distributors of opioid painkillers.Read the article

  • Toledo City Files Opioid Lawsuit

    Napoli Shkolnik PLLC is working with local counsel, Scott Kalish, on Toledo’s opioid litigation. Mr. Kalish spoke with ABC-13 regarding the lawsuit, saying, “We want to recoup the millions of dollars that have been lost because of this epidemic and crisis and the addiction of these illegally prescribed opioids.”Read the article

  • Tompkins County Considering Napoli Shkolnik for Opioid Suit

    Tompkins County may join a statewide coalition of counties attempting to sue the pharmaceutical industry for a practice, of?cials say, of deceptive marketing that had a role in compounding the rise of the opioid crisis.Read the article

  • Another City Hires Napoli Shkolnik for Opioid Litigation

    One of the largest cities in Ohio (Toledo) is suing drug manufacturers for their role in igniting the opioid epidemic currently wreaking havoc in the state. Napoli Shkolnik PLLC is one of the firms handling the case for officials but will not be compensated by Toledo unless they win the case.Read the article

  • Toledo City Council Hires Napoli Shkolnik for Opioid Lawsuit

    Toledo, OH has announced it is suing opioid manufacturers. “It is designed to hold them responsible,” the mayor said. “The goal is to recover our costs and to change the ways in which they prescribe and advertise these drugs.”Read the article

  • Crain’s Cleveland Business Cuyahoga County Lawsuit

    Cuyahoga County has filed a lawsuit in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court against seven firms that it believes were instrumental in promoting opioids for sale and distribution nationally and in Cuyahoga County.Read the article

  • The Anniston Star Quotes NS Attorney Joseph Ciaccio

    “It goes beyond health costs,” Napoli Shkolnik Lawyer Joseph L. Ciaccio explained. “The are social costs, law enforcement costs, coroner’s costs and foster care.”Read the article

  • Niagara County and Napoli Shkolnik in Opioid Fight

    Napoli Shkolnik PLLC will represent Niagara County in their opioid lawsuit against Big Pharma. “I would anticipate almost every, if not every, county in New York eventually joinging the lawsuit,” said Napoli Shkolnik attorney Joseph L. Ciaccio.Read the article

  • Toledo City Hires Napoli Shkolnik for Opioid Litigation

    The Toledo City Council voted in favoring of hiring Napoli Shkolnik PLLC to represent them in an opioid lawsuit.Read the article

  • The Post Star: Saratoga County Hires Napoli Shkolnik

    The Board of Supervisors said it is looking to to recover some of the financial costs associated with training programs, purchases of equipment, and the development of increases public services to help aide residents fighting their addictions. There will be no costs to taxpayers for the litigation, and the law firm will only be compensated…Read the article

  • Saratoga County Hires Napoli Shkolnik for Opioid Litigation

    The board of supervisors, at a recent special meeting, authorized hiring the New York City-based firm, Napoli Shkolnik, PLLC, to pursue litigation on the county’s behalf. The firm, which specializes in opioid cases, has been retained by almost 20 municipalities nationwide including Nassau County and the city of Dayton, Ohio, which has been referred to…Read the article

  • Toledo City Council Considers Napoli Shkolnik: Opioid Case

    The council is reviewing the mayor’s proposal to hire Napoli Shkolnik to sue for opioid-related costs. The firm already represents several other OH cities including Parma and Dayton in similar lawsuits.Read the article

  • Law360 Speaks with Hunter Shkolnik About Opioid Litigation

    The suits filed by Napoli Shkolnik on behalf of about 60 counties around the country are aimed at not only drugmakers and distributors, but also “pill mills,” as well as doctors and pharmacists who have lost their licenses for their role in the crisis. Other plaintiffs’ firms are focused either largely on manufacturers or distributors…Read the article

  • National Law Journal Interviews Paul Napoli

    The NLJ spoke with Paul Napoli, Co-Lead Counsel on the opioid litigation, about these lawsuits and his aim for a multi-district litigation (MDL) to handle the numerous cases.Read the article

  • Napoli Shkolnik Represents Portland, ME in Opioid Epidemic

    Maine’s largest city, Portland, has voted unanimously to engage Napoli Shkolnik PLLC in the City’s the legal fight against opioid manufacturers.Read the article

  • Financial Times Quotes Attorney Joseph Ciaccio

    “We haven’t found a single place that hasn’t been affected,” Mr. Ciaccio, whose firm represents numerous counties that have launched opioid-related lawsuits.Read the article

  • The Verdict Newsletter Fall 2017

    The fall 2017 version of our quarterly newsletter. In this issue, we discuss the nation’s opioid epidemic in addition to our advances in many of the cases that are currently in litigation.Read the article

  • New Hampshire City Selects Napoli Shkolnik for Opioid Litigation

    The City of Manchester in New Hampshire unanimously voted to join the opioid suit.Read the article

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Complaint Alleges that Insys Deceptively Promoted Subsys In New York For Unsafe Uses, Violated State Law By Downplaying Drug’s Addictive Risks

In Addition To Penalties, Suit Seeks To Disgorge Insys’ Illegally Earned Revenue—Up To $75 Million

Suit Marks Latest Action In AG Schneiderman’s Multi-Pronged Strategy To Tackle The Opioid Epidemic

Read the Complaint

With Trump MIA on Opioids, Here Come The Lawyers

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Napoli Shkolnik PLLC's opioid lawyers represent counties and cities throughout the country in the fight against the opioid crisis.

Partner Hunter J. Shkolnik was named to the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee in the In Re: National Prescription Opiate Litigation (MDL 2804) by United Stated District Judge Dan Aaron Polster of the Northern District of Ohio.

Paul Napoli was named Co-Lead Counsel in the New York Opioid Cost Recovery Litigation by Judge Jerry Garguilo of the Supreme Court of the State of New York for Suffolk County.