SEATTLE (Legal Newsline) - After attorneys for Washington State rested their case on Tuesday accusing three of the country's biggest opioid drug distributors of causing an overdose epidemic, attorneys for the defense moved to dismiss the case, including public nuisance allegations and alleged violations of the Consumer Protection Act.
CHARLESTON â The fourth week of Huntington and Cabell Countyâs opioid trial against three drug distributors was highlighted by an email showing McKesson Corp. employees cheering Appalachian trends shifting away from pills to illicit drugs in 2012.
The email was shared among McKesson employees, first by Tracey Jonas, director of regulatory processes, who shared a February 2012 article which said the DEA was seeing a sharp drop in Florida oxycodone.
Dave Gustin, a director of regulatory affairs, said pill users in Ohio and Kentucky were shifting to illicit drug use, such as heroin and meth. Jonas responded âGood . let them move to heroin and meth .we donât have to monitor that.â
CHARLESTON â The fourth week of Huntington and Cabell Countyâs opioid trial against three drug distributors was highlighted by an email showing McKesson Corp. employees cheering Appalachian trends shifting away from pills to illicit drugs in 2012.
The email was shared among McKesson employees, first by Tracey Jonas, director of regulatory processes, who shared a February 2012 article which said the DEA was seeing a sharp drop in Florida oxycodone.
Dave Gustin, a director of regulatory affairs, said pill users in Ohio and Kentucky were shifting to illicit drug use, such as heroin and meth. Jonas responded âGood . let them move to heroin and meth .we donât have to monitor that.â
Cabell County Sheriff Chuck Zerkle
CHARLESTON – At the landmark federal opioid trial, Cabell County Sherriff Chuck Zerkle testified being directly involved in Huntington, once deemed “epicenter of the opioid crisis,” has evolved.
During his testimony May 27, Zerkle said he wanted to make a difference and to help combat issues he believes are harming the community.
“One of the reasons I ran for sheriff was I felt I could make a difference in our community,” said Zerkle, who has been a Cabell County resident since 1985 working various positions in law enforcement and private industry. Farrell
Cabell County and the City of Huntington sued the three largest pharmaceutical distribution companies – AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson Corp. – in 2017 claiming the companies were largely responsible for the opioid crisis after the companies shipped more than 81 million hydrocodone and oxycodone pills to the county of just
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:
We can t fully answer that question, but a group of citizens may soon be able to. The Washington Post first reported that the Manhattan district attorney has convened a grand jury. The prosecutor has not confirmed the move, which would typically take place in secret.
INSKEEP: It is confirmed that the prosecutor has obtained access to the former president s tax records. So let s sort through what we know with Ilya Marritz of WNYC. Good morning.
ILYA MARRITZ, BYLINE: Good morning.
INSKEEP: Based on the evidence that you have, what could prosecutors be looking at?