Washington County Joins the Fight Against the Opioid Industry: Lawsuit Alleges Defendants' Illegal Practices Devastated SW Virginia County

WASHINGTON, Aug. 6, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Washington County, Virginia, represented by Sanford Heisler Sharp, LLP, Kaufman & Canoles, P.C., and The Cicala Law Firm PLLC today initiated legal action against opioid manufacturers, distributors, and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) for their role in creating the public health emergency caused by prescription opioids. 

Washington County filed the lawsuit in state court against more than 15 opioid manufacturers, distributors, and PBMs — including pharmaceutical titan Purdue Pharma and worldwide distributor McKesson.  The lawsuit alleges that each defendant contributes to the opioid crisis in Washington County—drug manufacturers make the drugs and misrepresent the truth about their benefits and addiction risks to doctors and patients; wholesale distributors ignore their responsibilities to report and stop suspicious orders of opioids leading to drug diversion to the black market; and PBMs leverage their role as middlemen to increase the flow of opioids into the marketplace.  The County has alleged violations of statutory and common law public nuisance, the Virginia Consumer Protection Act, fraud, common law conspiracy, negligence, and unjust enrichment.

The defendants include manufacturers Purdue Pharma, Abbott Laboratories, Endo Pharmaceuticals, Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals; Teva Pharmaceuticals, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Cephalon, Inc., Barr Laboratories, Inc., Actavis Pharma, Watson Laboratories, Inc., Allergan PLC, and Insys Therapeutics; distributors AmerisourceBergen Drug Corp., Cardinal Health Inc., and McKesson Corp.; and PBMs Express Scripts, Inc., CVS Health; United Health Group Inc., and OptumRx, Inc.

The harmful impact of opioids in Washington County cannot be overstated.  There were at least 8 deaths in Washington County due to opioid overdoses in 2015.  During the same year, the rate of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome in Washington County was more than four times greater than the statewide rate in Virginia, and the rate of reported Hepatitis C cases was nearly five times greater than the statewide rate.  

As a relatively small municipality with a population of just over 50,000, the financial cost of the opioid epidemic has been tremendous for the County.  For example, Washington County's correctional and incarceration costs have increased over 90% in response to rising illegal drug use which is highly correlated to prescription drug abuse.  The County also had to establish a Drug Court to address the high number of nonviolent drug offenders in the County. The lawsuit aims to recover these costs and costs associated with the purchase of opioids prescribed to County employees.

"We are pleased to represent Washington County as it seeks to hold the defendants accountable for their reprehensible actions and recover the funds the County has spent to address the impact of the opioid crisis.  Washington County's citizens deserve justice for the harms inflicted upon them by the defendants and our respective firms are proud to take on this fight on their behalf," said Kevin H.  Sharp of Sanford Heisler Sharp, LLP.

Joanne Cicala added, "the opioid epidemic is not accidental.  It is not a natural disaster.  It is a man-made crisis.  And worse – the companies that did this were not just seeking to build market share – they knew they were creating addicts.  No local government wants to have to file a lawsuit.  Local governments have enough to do already, providing services to the public on tight budgets.  But this man-made crisis is costing Washington County and communities like it dearly – and so Washington County must respond. Those responsible for this epidemic – those who profited from it – must be held accountable for its costs."

About Sanford Heisler Sharp, LLP

Sanford Heisler Sharp, LLP is a public interest class-action litigation law firm with offices in New York, Washington, D.C, Nashville, Baltimore, San Francisco, and San Diego.  Our attorneys have graduated from the nation's top law schools, clerked for judges throughout the United States, and amassed extensive experience litigating and trying cases that have earned over one billion dollars for our clients.

The Firm specializes in civil rights and general public interest cases, representing plaintiffs with claims of employment discrimination, labor and wage violations, predatory lending, consumer fraud, and whistleblowing, among other claims. Along with a focus on class actions, the Firm also represents individuals and has achieved extraordinary success in the representation of executives and attorneys in employment disputes.

For more information go to www.sanfordheisler.com or call (202) 499-5200 or email [email protected]. For the latest news, visit our newsroom or follow us on Twitter at @sanfordheisler.

About The Cicala Law Firm PLLC

The Cicala Law Firm PLLC is a plaintiff's civil litigation firm with particular expertise in prosecuting commercial, consumer and health care fraud matters on behalf of individuals, businesses and governmental clients. It maintains a diverse, experienced and nimble team comprised of attorneys, analysts, health care and IT professionals. The firm is committed to taking advantage of cutting edge technology to identity claims and particularize damages, including through data mining.  The firm has the ability to do this work in-house which permits substantial cost savings for its clients. In addition to its litigation and big data services, The Cicala Law Firm is available for health care cost containment efforts such as pharmacy benefit claims evaluation. It welcomes strategic partnerships with other firms where its competencies may complement those of the collaborating firm.

For more information go to www.cicalapllc.com or call (512) 275-6550 or email [email protected].

Media Contact: Jamie Moss, newsPRos, 201 788 0142; [email protected]

SOURCE Sanford Heisler Sharp, LLP

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