Attorney Accepts Endo's $35M Settlement Offer In Opioid Lawsuit

Attorney Accepts Endo's $35M Settlement Offer In Opioid Lawsuit

Introduction

An attorney has accepted Endo pharmaceutical's offer of a $35 million settlement in a lawsuit in Tennessee where the manufacturer is alleged of fueling the opioid epidemic in the state.

The attorney representing the plaintiff said that it is the best and final settlement amount that would compensate the local government and a child who was born dependent on opioids.

In April, a federal judge already ruled that the opioid firm is responsible for the opioid epidemic in Tennessee, considering the delayed proceedings, misleading information to plaintiffs, and impeding with the administration of justice by the defendants.

The attorney informed, all the local governments, including nine counties and 18 cities and towns, of northeast Tennessee, will sign the agreement by next week, post which the communities will get the money.

The money allocated for the opioid-dependent child will be distributed into a trust fund, legal fees, and expenses. A vast sum of amount will be allotted to the counties, which will be further divided as per the counties' population.

Endo, Mallinckrodt and Purdue Pharma are the defendants in the 2017 opioid lawsuit where the plaintiffs sued the manufacturers for $2.4 billion. Sullivan County Circuit Court Chancellor E.G. Moody informed that the plaintiffs have expert testimony to support the settlement amount. Mallinckrodt and Purdue Pharma have already filed for bankruptcy, and Endo is the last active corporate defendant in the lawsuit.

Earlier, three major drug distribution companies along with Johnson & Johnson agreed upon an agreement that will make the drugmakers pay $26 billion to deal with the countrywide opioid epidemic.

Kentucky will also receive $460 million as a settlement in opioid abuse litigation against opioid manufacturers like Johnson and Johnson (J&J) for the epidemic fueled by the drug-making companies.

Attorney General Daniel Cameron informed in a press release that the settlement amount would be helpful to treat people addicted to opioids and conduct programs that will control the opioid epidemic in the state.

As per the reports, so far, 180 people have died in the Louisville Metro area because of opioid overdose compared to 218 in the last year.

The Substance Use Disorder Strategy Coalition (SUDS) will hold a community panel to discuss the harm reduction of opioids in Shelbyville to deal with the epidemic. The program will discuss education about HIV and Hepatitis C testing, along with a needle exchange program to alert the individuals and communities about substance abuse.

A doctor of North Central Health District informed that substance abuse had been a matter of concern for many years in the state. These funds allocated for controlling substance abuse would be a positive thing amidst the current pandemic.

Officials of the Kentucky Coroners Association showed concern by stating that the number of people affected because of opioids is rising continuously. The president of the association even informed that an adjoining county recently reported three overdosing cases in a day which is a serious issue.

Earlier J&J and drug distributors Cardinal, McKesson, and AmerisourceBergen agreed on a deal to pay $26 billion to settle the nationwide opioid lawsuits. J&J even faces several talcum powder lawsuits from women across the country alleging that the company's baby powder causes ovarian cancer.

Earlier, McKesson Corporation, Cardinal Health Inc., and AmerisourceBergen Drug Corporation were ordered by New York Attorney General Letitia James to pay up to $1.1 billion to New York state to tackle the opioid epidemic.

The agreement will eliminate the three opioid distributors from the ongoing opioid trial, which is advancing in Suffolk County State Supreme Court. It is one of the largest settlements handled by the attorney general, James. The companies will start making the payments in two months and will continue to settle the amount for the next 17 years.

James issued a press release stating that the opioid epidemic has affected several communities throughout New York and across the nation for more than two decades. It has affected a large number of families by killing hundreds of thousands of individuals and addicting millions more.

A base payment of $1.1 billion is guaranteed in the settlement, and further amounts may be levied in case of future litigation. A part of the settlement amount will be used to combat the effects of the opioid crisis. The settlement will even cover compensation for the private practice attorneys as a lawyer's fee.

Attorney general James said that no amount of money could compensate the families affected because of the crisis and people addicted to opioids. She even said that the settlement amount would play a vital role in tackling the opioid crisis of New York.

James even directed to change the ways of collecting and analyzing data in the opioid litigation.

U.S. District Judge Dan Aaron Polster is overlooking the National Prescription Opiate Litigation MDL No. 2804 (In Re: National Prescription Opiate Litigation), formed in October 2017.