Entire Opioid Industry—Manufacturers, Distributors & Pharmacies—Facing Legal Scrutiny Over Roles in Opioid Epidemic
J&J, Distributors Near Final Opioid Deal Terms With States
“Opioid maker Johnson & Johnson and three drug distributors are expected to disclose this week the final terms of a $26 billion settlement for thousands of lawsuits accusing them of fueling a public-health crisis, according to people familiar with the deal.”
July 19, 2021[2]
Major Trial Against Opioid Suppliers Begins in New York
“A large chunk of the opioid industry will take the stand over the course of the trial, including manufacturers of generic versions of drugs, like Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and Allergan Inc., as well as massive suppliers of the pills such as Cardinal Health and McKesson Corp.”
June 29, 2021[1]
Drugmakers Accused of Causing Opioid Addiction in Trial
“J&J, Teva, Endo and AbbVie Inc.’s Allergan say they acted legally.”
April 19, 2021[3]
Endo Hit With Default Judgment in Tenn. Opioid Baby Suit
“‘Accordingly, the court finds that Endo willfully withheld this information during the discovery phase to gain a litigation advantage at trial,’ [Sullivan County Circuit Court Judge E.G.] Moody said.”
April 7, 2021[4]
Allergan, Teva Accused Of Hiding ‘Critical’ Opioid Info
“’… Allergan and Teva withheld this highly relevant evidence which clearly shows the extent of their liability for the opioid crisis,’ [said] Hunter Shkolnik of Napoli Shkolnik PLLC… Without the report, Allergan was able to make false and misleading statements, such as that the system was already compliant…”
September 1, 2020[5]
Tennessee judge holds drug firm in contempt over discovery
“‘The court is even more concerned with the untrue statements made by the Endo Defendants’ attorneys than their failure to do a reasonable search,’ the judge [Sullivan County Circuit Court Judge E.G. Moody] wrote.”
May 8, 2020[6]
Walmart Hid That It Was Under Criminal Investigation for Its Opioid Sales, Lawyers Say
“Walmart, a defendant in the massive lawsuit brought by states and municipalities around the country that accuses a broad range of companies of lax controls over opioid sales, failed to reveal that it had been under criminal investigation for similar conduct….”
April 13, 2020[7]
J&J Labeled ‘Kingpin’ of U.S. Opioid Drug Epidemic by Oklahoma
“Those actions made J&J a ‘kingpin behind the public-health emergency, profiting at every stage,’ lawyers for Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter said in a February state court document.”
March 12, 2019[8]
Suit accuses drug distributor McKesson of fueling Kentucky’s opioid epidemic
“McKesson knowingly and intentionally distributed enormous quantities of prescription opioids throughout Kentucky… This reckless behavior fueled our catastrophic drug epidemic that every community is facing.’”
Kentucky AG Andy Beshear, January 22, 2018[9]