Opioid Epidemic’s First-of-a-Kind Lawsuit

Could the city of Everett, Washington, be setting a precedent in the fight against opioid addiction in the United States?

City officials have filed a first-of-its-kind lawsuit against the manufacturer of OxyContin, alleging the company “turned a blind eye to criminal trafficking of its pills to ‘reap large and obscene profits’ and demanding it foot the bill for widespread opioid addiction in the community,” the Los Angeles Times reported.

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It should come as no surprise.

As drug overdose and death rates skyrocket across the nation, families and communities have been looking for answers. They want to know how things have gotten to the point where first responders need to stay fully stocked on Narcan in order to revive addicts who have overdosed. They want to know where all of the trafficking is coming from — and why pain medications are still overprescribed.

They need help. And — they’re wondering who should be held accountable.

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The lawsuit filed Thursday was prompted, according to the LA Times, by an investigation the paper did last year showing that drug maker Purdue Pharma knew of illegal trafficking of its pills across the nation. That information was never shared with law enforcement, however. Nor did the company cut off the supply.

“One Los Angeles ring monitored by Purdue and highlighted by the Times’ investigation supplied OxyContin to gang members and other criminals who were trafficking the drug to Everett. At the height of the problem, in 2010, OxyContin was a factor in more than half the crimes in Snohomish County, and it ignited a heroin epidemic that still grips the region,” the paper reported.

City lawyers believe the company should pay Everett back the tens of millions of dollars the epidemic has cost the city, along with punitive damages.

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“Purdue’s improper actions of placing profits over the welfare of the citizens of Everett have caused and will continue to cause substantial damages to Everett,” the lawyers wrote. “Purdue is liable for its intentional, reckless, and/or negligent misconduct and should not be allowed to evade responsibility for its callous and unconscionable practices.”

A spokesman for Purdue said in a statement earlier this week, “We share public officials’ concerns about the opioid crisis and we are committed to working collaboratively to find solutions,” the Times reported.

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More than 40 residents fatally overdose on heroin each year in Everett; government resources are also severely taxed. The Times reported that there are only 16 available beds in the single detox center in the county — “but on any given day, the jail might have up to 160 inmates in need of detox. The city last year spent $160,000 removing trash from a single city block that has become an open-air drug market. Homelessness has exploded, with addicts living in encampments along highways, behind stores and in wooded areas throughout the city.”