Publication Archive: Opioids Litigation

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

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

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

“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

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

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