Witness testimony begins in landmark W.Va. opioid trial
by The Associated Press
Last Updated May 5, 2021 at 2:58 pm EDT
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Witness testimony has begun in a landmark opioid trial in which local governments in West Virginia have sued three large drug distributors accused of fueling the opioid epidemic.
Cabell County and the city of Huntington argue that drug distributors AmerisourceBergen Drug Co., Cardinal Health Inc. and McKesson Corp created a “public nuisance” by flooding the area with 80 million opioid doses over eight years and ignoring the signs that the community was being ravaged by addiction.
Similar lawsuits have resulted in multimillion-dollar settlements, but this is the first time allegations have wound up at federal trial. The result could have huge effects on hundreds of similar lawsuits that have been filed across the country.