Carroll Joins Ranks of Counties Filing Suit Against Opioid Makers

law - gavel abd booksCarroll County is the latest jurisdiction in Maryland to file suit against opioid drug manufacturers and distributors.  The county is pursuing the case in state court rather than joining the federal suit.

The Baltimore Sun reports:

The Carroll lawsuit, filed July 25 in Carroll County Circuit Court, seeks redress for damages from 29 pharmaceutical companies or their subsidiaries — including Teva Pharmaceuticals, Janssen Pharmaceuticals and Purdue Pharma, the manufacturer of the opioid medication known as OxyContin — according to the court filing, alleging that companies purposefully mislead doctors and the public about the risk of their drugs.

The commissioners explicitly rejected the idea of joining an ongoing suit in Ohio, in federal court, according to [Commissioner Dennis] Frazier.

“We don’t want to be involved with the federal suit, because then you have people from out of state determining what damages Carroll County may or may not have undergone. We want people in Maryland that know what’s going on in Maryland and Carroll County to make the decision.”

For more information read the full article in The Baltimore Sun

Related coverage from Conduit Street:

Carroll County Retains Law Firm to Pursue Opioid Litigation