CHARLESTON Fingers were pointed and blame was thrown all around a federal courtroom as a retired Drug Enforcement Administration official and attorneys for three drug distributors butted heads for a second full day of testimony.
CHARLESTON – A key former Drug Enforcement Administration official spent the day on the witness stand giving testimony between objections, legal limitations and frustrations.
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
CHARLESTON – As the landmark federal opioid trial concluded its fourth week, attorneys for Cardinal Health probed an addiction science professor from Marshall University about recovery programs and estimated costs.
The City of Huntington and the Cabell County Commission sued three of the nation’s top pharmaceutical distribution companies – AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson – in 2017 seeking compensation over claims the companies helped fuel the opioid epidemic by sending more than 81 million controlled substances to the county between 2006 and 2014.
Before the start of testimony May 28, U.S. District Judge David Faber, who is overseeing the bench trial, brought up previously admitted documents that were not presented to the media. Faber said that while he does worry about how the media can misconstrue the documents, with a previous ruling in mind, he felt the public had the right to see the documents.
CHARLESTON – All three major drug distribution companies objected to Cabell County and Huntington attorneys bringing in an expert witness with a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration background to examine opioid data.
The City of Huntington and Cabell County sued three of the largest distribution companies – AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson Corp – in 2017, seeking the parties be held responsible for shipping over 81 million prescription pain pills into the area of 100,000 residents. Five of 77 pharmacies in Cabell County and Huntington, received over 23.2 million pills between 2006 and 2014 according to the data released by DEA.
Attorney Paul Farrell Jr., representing Cabell County, called James Rafalski, a former DEA official to the stand May 26. Rafalski investigated registrants, collect due diligence files and put together reports to determine effective controls to prevent diversion on behalf of the DEA.