Publication Archive: Opioid Epidemic

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

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

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

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

Joining other state and local governments across the country, Berlin last week filed suit against the drug companies and distributors it argues are responsible for the opioid epidemic. The 284-page lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Concord, charges the drug manufacturers put their desire for profits above the well-being of Berlin residents. As a…Read the article