Publication Archive: Hunter Shkolnik

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

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

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

The ruling affirms Judge Kahn’s 2017 decision to allow claims by residents of the Village of Hoosick Falls, New York, for damages related to medical monitoring to advance, as well as their personal injury, property damage, trespass and nuisance claims. The residents say they ingested PFOA-laced water as a result of contamination from one or…Read the article

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on Monday allowed residents of Hoosick Falls to proceed with a lawsuit alleging that Honeywell International Inc. and Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Corp. contaminated their water supply with toxic chemicals from a factory in the upstate New York town.Read the article

Hunter J. Shkolnik of Napoli Shkolnik PLLC, one of the top plaintiffs attorneys representing local governments in litigation over the opioid epidemic, recently spoke with Law360 about working from home now that he’s off the road and the benefits of teleconferencing for attorneys.  Read the article

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

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

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

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