The city of Greenfield, Massachusetts has lodged an opioid lawsuit against Purdue Pharma, AmerisourceBergen and other drugmakers, accusing the companies of illegally marketing and diverting prescription medications contributing to the nationwide opioid epidemic.
The concept of filing an opioid lawsuit is picking up steam around the country as more cities try to grapple with the number of people acquiring these drugs and becoming addicted.
The opioid public health crisis has forced the healthcare industry and government agencies to adapt quickly to the far-reaching impacts of addiction. Some of these entities are choosing to take things to another level by filing a lawsuit to recover damages.
Greenfield is the latest government entity coming forward to argue that the manufacturing defendants are responsible for deceptively promoting these medications.
According to the opioid lawsuit, the economic damages sustained by Greenfield and other cities were foreseeable and were sustained as a result of the intentional or illegal actions and omissions carried out by the defendants.
The opioid lawsuit alleges that these analgesics are improperly used and widely diverted which has led to broad spread abuse of opioids and a national epidemic of opioid addictions and overdose deaths.
The opioid lawsuit states that the epidemic is directly tied to the widespread misuse of powerful opioid drugs. The manufacturers are accused of falsely representing to doctors that patients would only rarely suffer a risk of drug addiction.
According to the opioid lawsuit, the manufacturers aggressively pushed dangerous and highly addictive opioids as the go-to medications for anyone suffering from pain. Plaintiffs also brought their opioid lawsuit against wholesale distributors of these highly addictive drugs.
The manufacturers and distributors illegally or intentionally breached their legal duties under state and federal law to detect, monitor, investigate, report and refuse suspicious orders of prescription opioids, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit stipulates that this has led to an opioid public nuisance and a foreseeable opioid crisis for which the town has been forced to deal with the consequences of many people becoming inappropriately addicted to opioid medications.
In other cities and states across the country, the opioid crisis has led to a large number of drug overdoses and a public health crisis to treat those affected by addiction. Some morgues are unable to keep up with the flow of bodies from overdoses.
Many people across the country are, in a professional or personal sense, coping with the impacts of opioid addiction.
The Opioid Lawsuit is City of Greenfield v. AmerisourceBergen Drug Corporation, et al., Case No. 3:17-cv-30175, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, Western Division.
If you or someone you know is interested in pursuing an opioid addiction lawsuit, consult with the experienced attorneys at McDonald Worley today. Fill out the form on this page to learn more about how to initiate a legal claim.