Knoxville News Sentinel
In the first ruling of its kind in Tennessee, the state Supreme Court says opioid makers and distributors who act like drug dealers can be sued as drug dealers.
In an unanimous decision authored by Justice Sharon Lee and released Thursday, the high court ruled Big Pharma can be sued under the Tennessee Drug Dealer Liability act a state law that allows “innocent third parties” of illegal drug dealing to sue drug dealers for damages.
The court ruled that opioid makers and distributors cannot shield themselves from the law by arguing they make and sell legal drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration and, therefore, cannot be labeled illegal drug dealers.