Firms Launch Class Actions Against Opioid Manufacturers and Distributors for Inflated Health Insurance Costs

CHICAGO, May 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Three national law firms today filed class actions against pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors on behalf of individuals and businesses who have suffered higher insurance costs as a result of the extreme burdens the opioid epidemic is placing on America's healthcare system.

The law firms—Edelson PC, Consovoy McCarthy Park PLLC, and Keller Lenkner LLC—filed suits on behalf of plaintiffs in federal courts in California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York. The complaints charge the major opioid manufacturers and distributors with fraudulent and deceptive marketing practices, negligence in distributing opioids into the marketplace, and numerous other violations of state and federal law.

In addition to the pain inflicted upon individuals and families, all Americans—individual consumers, small businesses, and large corporations—have borne the increased health insurance costs stemming from the opioid epidemic. Today's suits are the only opioid cases that address the health insurance costs consumers and businesses have faced as a result of the deadliest drug crisis in American history.

"Decisions by opioid manufacturers and distributors to put profits over people have damaged millions of consumers and businesses that purchase health insurance coverage," said Jay Edelson of Edelson PC. "Individual policyholders are bearing the high cost of this unprecedented epidemic.  Through these suits, we seek to hold the opioid companies accountable."

In each of the cases filed today, the putative class includes all individuals and corporate entities that purchased health insurance, including individuals who paid for part of an employer-sponsored insurance plan. The complaints allege that each class member paid higher health insurance costs as a predictable consequence of the defendants' misconduct.

"Obtaining redress from the opioid wrongdoers is not a 'consumers vs. business' issue, and it transcends traditional political lines," said Will Consovoy of Consovoy McCarthy Park PLLC. "These classes include individual plaintiffs, small businesses, and large corporations. All of them have suffered damages at the hands of the opioid industry."

Opioid companies' unlawful acts have led to billions of dollars in increased healthcare costs covered by private insurers. As one example, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control estimated that prescription opioid abuse caused a $14 billion increase in nationwide private health insurance costs in 2013 alone. And the numbers have only increased from there. The White House Council of Economic Advisers recently estimated that the economic cost of the opioid crisis in 2015 was more than $500 billion—2.8 percent of GDP.

"It is not enough that public entities collect damages for the harms suffered by taxpayers," said Ashley Keller of Keller Lenkner LLC. "Pharmaceutical companies must pay for their devastating economic impact on the health insurance market. We're here to make sure that they do."

For more information, or to discuss your rights as someone who has paid for health insurance coverage (with no obligation or cost to you), please contact Edelson PC at (312) 589-6370 / [email protected], Consovoy McCarthy Park PLLC at (703) 243-9423 / [email protected], or Keller Lenkner LLC at (312) 741-5220 / [email protected].

The Cases:
Chu v. Purdue Pharma L.P. et al., No. 18-cv-02576 (N.D. Cal.)
Grace v. Purdue Pharma L.P. et al., No. 18-cv-10857 (D. Mass.)
Klodzinski v. Purdue Pharma L.P. et al., No. 18-cv-03927 (S.D.N.Y.)
Rivers v. Purdue Pharma L.P. et al., No. 18-cv-03116 (N.D. Ill.)
Sardella v. Purdue Pharma L.P. et al., No. 18-cv-08706 (D.N.J.)

About Edelson PC: Edelson PC is a national leader in plaintiffs' class action and mass tort litigation. Law360 has called the firm a "Titan of the Plaintiffs Bar," a "Plaintiffs Class Action Powerhouse," and one of the "Consumer Protection Practice Groups of the Year" for 2017. Based in Chicago and San Francisco, Edelson has recovered billions of dollars in relief for its clients. www.edelson.com

About Consovoy McCarthy Park PLLC: Consovoy McCarthy Park PLLC specializes in solving complex legal problems, and it represents clients in complex litigation and appeals before state courts, federal courts, administrative agencies, and the Supreme Court of the United States. www.consovoymccarthy.com

About Keller Lenkner LLC: Keller Lenkner LLC pursues high-stakes litigation for plaintiffs across a variety of claims and practice areas. Its lawyers are uniquely situated at the intersection of law and finance, with experience that includes litigating in courts throughout the country as well as co-founding the world's largest private litigation finance firm. www.kellerlenkner.com

ATTORNEY ADVERTISING. The law firms responsible for this advertisement are Edelson PC, 350 N. LaSalle Street, 14^th Floor, Chicago, Illinois 60654, (312) 598-6370; Consovoy McCarthy Park PLLC, 3033 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 700, Arlington, Virginia 22201, (703) 243-9423; and Keller Lenkner LLC, 150 N. Riverside Plaza, Chicago, Illinois 60610, (312) 741-5220. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.

SOURCE Keller Lenkner LLC

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