As opioid-related deaths have soared, thousands of lawsuits have been filed seek...
NEW YORK - As opioid-related deaths have soared, thousands of lawsuits have been filed seeking damages from drugmakers and distributors. The following is a summary of where and how the opioid litigation is playing out across the United States:
- Nearly 400,000 deaths in the United States have been linked to overdoses of opioids from 1990 to 2017, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 218,000 of those deaths have been from prescription opioids, while the rest were from illicit opioids including heroin. - About 2,000 of the pending lawsuits, most brought by municipalities and counties, have been consolidated before a federal judge in Cleveland, Ohio. That judge, U.S. District Judge Dan Polster, has ruled that the cases may proceed to trial but has pushed for a “global” settlement to resolve all of the claims, and recently approved a novel procedure that will allow plaintiffs’ lawyers to negotiate on behalf of a class of all municipalities and counties in the country.
- Outside of the Ohio litigation, most lawsuits are pending in state courts, particularly ones brought by state attorneys general. Most target Purdue. Many also name members of the wealthy Sackler family, which owns Purdue.
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