Opioid Settlement Could Aid County
Milwaukee suit seeks settlement to repay county’s costs from opioid crisis, can cite Purdue Pharma case.
“Under a novel plan to relinquish control of their company, Purdue Pharma, and resurrect it as a trust whose main purpose would be to combat the opioid epidemic, the Sacklers could raise most, if not all, of their personal share of the $10 billion to $12 billion agreement by selling their international drug conglomerate, Mundipharma,” The Washington Post reports.
There are pending actions against more than 15 companies, including Purdue, as part of a multi-district litigation (MDL) process. Milwaukee County filed it’s own lawsuit as part of the MDL, aiming to use settlements to repay damages caused by the opioid crisis. “There’s thousands of plaintiffs, multiple defendants,” says Milwaukee County Corporation Counsel Margaret Daun.
The Oklahoma case only sought damages for a single year. “Our proof of damages would be more robust and cover many years.” Daun said. “The court found that Johnson & Johnson (through subsidiaries) supplied the active ingredient for 60% of the entire opioid market, a factual finding.” She told Wisconsin Examiner, “this is a big ruling because it puts Johnson & Johnson in the crosshairs in all other lawsuits.”
News about the pending Purdue settlement, under which the Sackler family would keep much of their personal fortune, will cause plaintiffs in the MDL to push forward their claims in case the company declares bankruptcy, Daun said. “Purdue Pharma was a major culprit in the creation of this epidemic,” Daun added. “It does not have the capacity to pay all of the legal claims. We are in active negations with Purdue and the Sackler family to obtain the best result possible for Milwaukee County before bankruptcy is filed.”
Drug Enforcement Administration data shows that from 2006 to 2012, over a billion prescription pain killers found their way into Wisconsin. According to the Washington Post, over 76 billion pills were distributed nationwide during the same period.
Reprinted with permission of Wisconsin Examiner.
More about the Opioid Crisis
- Serenity Inns Opens New Addiction Treatment Center in Milwaukee - Serenity Inns - Aug 14th, 2024
- MKE County: County Nearly Doubles Narcan Vending Machines - Graham Kilmer - Aug 12th, 2024
- Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley Announces Placement of Eight Additional Harm Reduction Vending Machines - County Executive David Crowley - Aug 12th, 2024
- Milwaukee’s Native Community Faces Surge in Opioid Deaths - Trisha Young - Jul 8th, 2024
- MKE County: County Awards $2.8 Million To Non-Profit Opioid Programs - Graham Kilmer - Jul 2nd, 2024
- MKE County: County To Get $3 Million From Kroger In Opioid Settlement - Graham Kilmer - Jul 1st, 2024
- Court Decision Holds Up Wisconsin’s $70 Million Drug Settlement - Sarah Lehr - Jul 1st, 2024
- MKE County: Opioid Settlement Will Fund 7 New, Expanded Abatement Efforts - Graham Kilmer - Jun 28th, 2024
- Legislators Agree on Opioid Plan, Still Withhold PFAS, Hospital Funds - Erik Gunn - May 8th, 2024
- Baldwin Announces Over $17.7 Million to Tackle Fentanyl and Opioid Crisis in Wisconsin - U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin - May 7th, 2024
Read more about Opioid Crisis here