Publication Archive: Opioid Epidemic

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

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

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

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 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

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