Families of Holyoke Soldiers Home Victims To Get $56M

Families of Holyoke Soldiers Home Victims To Get $56M

Introduction

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[html format="basic_html" different_values="0" undefined="|{p|}A federal judge of California has ordered to resume the |{a href='/mass-torts/drugs/opioids'|}|{u|}opioid|{/u|}|{/a|} lawsuit against multiple drugmakers and pharmacies, including Teva Pharmaceutical and Walgreens.|{/p|}|{p|}The lawsuit alleges that the companies created a public nuisance by fueling the ongoing opioid epidemic throughout the state. The companies filed a petition in the court to delay the proceedings of the lawsuit as it will give them sufficient time to collect evidence and prepare for the trials.|{/p|}|{p|}The lawsuit is a part of multidistrict litigation (MDL), and it is yet uncertain if the ruling of this case will close any of the claims in district court. The attorneys for the plaintiffs hope that at least some of the opioid claims from the MDL get resolved.|{/p|}|{p|}The case date backs to 2018 when the state of California and the city and county of San Francisco brought allegations against the pharmacies, opioid manufacturers, distributors and marketers of improperly dispensing prescription opioids. The companies deceptively marketed the drugs, which resulted in physicians overprescribing them, eventually resulting in the opioid crisis.|{/p|}|{p|}Last year, Judge Peter J. Wilson of Orange County ruled that drugmakers Allergan PLC, Teva Pharmaceuticals USA Inc., Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc. and its subsidiary Par Pharmaceutical Inc could not be blamed for the opioid crisis in the state and cannot be held responsible for causing a public nuisance. Even Johnson & Johnson (J&J) was a defendant in this case but was not a part of the federal suit.|{/p|}"]<p>Massachusetts announced that it would pay a $56 million settlement to the families of the veterans who died or became sick due to the COVID-19 outbreak at a state-run veterans’ care center.</p><p>As per the settlement, the veterans who died after contracting COVID-19 will get a minimum of $400,000 each, whereas the veterans who survived after contracting the disease will get a minimum of $10,000. The settlement is yet to get approval from the federal judge.</p><p>One of the families' attorneys argues that the issue is so severe that it deprives the veterans of their constitutional rights to be free from harms recklessly created by the government.</p><p>The attorney even said that no amount of money could compensate for the suffering of the affected families, nor it will bring back the deceased veterans, but the justice should make sure that the wrongs against the veterans should not go unaddressed. He further added that the settlement acknowledges that the catastrophe was preventable and should not have happened.</p><p>As per the previous reports provided by another lawyer representing the plaintiffs, the center recorded the deaths of 76 veterans due to COVID-19, but the further investigation by the state reflects a higher number. Many veterans' death certificates did not mention the cause of death as COVID-19, which resulted in a miscalculation of the deceased's list.</p><p>The veterans who lived at the facility between March 1, 2020 and June 23, 2020, and became ill or died due to COVID-19 during the period would be covered under the settlement. Even the attorney fees would be covered under the settlement.</p>[/html]
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