Attorneys representing Montgomery County, Maryland recently filed lawsuits against 14 opioid drug manufacturers and distributors over the counties unprecedented rise in painkiller drug overdoses. The county joins a growing list of other municipalities across the country filing suit against opioid drug makers for what many experts have deemed deceptive and aggressive marketing campaigns to flood communities with millions of opioids.
According to the opioid lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland Greenbelt Division, big drug companies like Purdue Pharma, Teva Pharmaceuticals, and Janssen Pharmaceuticals improperly marketed their powerful opioid painkiller drugs to doctors as non-addictive. Those claims and others constitute violations of the county and state consumer protection acts, the federal RICO racketeering act and the state’s false claims act, in addition to public nuisance, negligence and unjust enrichment, the lawsuit alleges.
In 2010, Montgomery County saw 27 drug related overdoses but last year that number skyrocketed to 117, with 99 coming in the first nine-months of 2017. While it is unclear what the amount of damages against the county may be, any potential award or settlement could be substantial given the damages other municipalities filing similar lawsuits have alleged.
Many lawsuits filed on behalf of cities, counties, and states seek to recover retrospective damages include money spent on EMS and first responders, opioid reversal drugs like Narcan, and expenses for medical examiners, police, and substance abuse programs. Additionally, these types of opioid drug lawsuits seek prospective damages for the money it will take moving forward to put the community back in the position it was before the opioid crisis.
In addition to cities and states filing lawsuits against drug makers for inundating communities with powerful prescription painkillers, recovering addicts and families of victims who died of opioid drug overdoses are filing their own claims. Because companies like Purdue Pharma aggressively marketing their OxyContin painkillers with misleading labeling, many doctors prescribed the opioids as an improper way to manage pain symptoms.
After becoming addicted to painkillers and having no more prescription refills, hundreds of thousands of men and women turned to street drugs like heroin and fentanyl as a cheaper alternative to feed their narcotics addiction. As a result, patients quickly became addicted to OxyContin and other opioid painkillers after just a few refills, drastically altering the lives of hardworking people attempting to manage their pain while recovering from surgical procedures.
As a law firm committed to protecting our communities and holding corporations accountable for their greed, Â The Cochran Firm, DC is investigating claims on behalf of individuals harmed by the opioid crisis. Our painkiller drug overdose lawyers can help your file lawsuits against drug companies if you or a loved one:
If you suffered from addiction or lost a loved one after being prescribed OxyContin, Fentanyl, or another opioid painkiller drug, contact our office for a free and confidential legal consultation about your case. Our painkiller drug overdose lawyers can help investigate your claim and determine if the drug company, distributor, pharmacy, or doctor may be responsible for your damages.
The Cochran Firm, DC represents clients on a contingency basis, meaning we pay all upfront costs to litigate your claim and do not collect any fees unless we win your case. Let our attorneys get you and your family the justice and compensation you deserve and hold the drug companies responsible for putting profits ahead of people.
