CHARLESTON – Three of the nation’s largest pharmaceutical distribution companies pushed for a trial dismissal as the plaintiffs wrapped up their case at the bellwether federal opioid trial.
During a day of motions July 1, the drug distributors maintained the plaintiffs continuously have failed to give substantial evidence of misconduct.
The City of Huntington and Cabell County sued the distribution companies –AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson Corp – in 2017, seeking the parties be held responsible for their part in the opioid epidemic. Five of 77 pharmacies in Cabell County and Huntington, received over 23.2 million pills between 2006 and 2014 according to DEA data. Majestro
On behalf of Cabell County and the City of Huntington, Paul Farrell Jr. motioned to rest the plaintiff’s case, entering a day of motions.
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Huntington Mayor Steve Williams (left) leaves the courthouse with City Communications Director Bryan Chambers and attorney Rusty Webb. | Photo by Brittany Hively
CHARLESTON – Wrapping up the plaintiff s case, Huntington Mayor Steve Williams provided emotional testimony detailing his experience in handling the opioid epidemic.
“We had individuals saying we were the epicenter of the opioid epidemic and that smacked me in the center,” Williams said during his sometimes tearful June 30 examination by attorney Anne Kearse. “The hardest part of this is dealing with the family members who have lost someone to this and are lost.
In 2017, Cabell County and the City of Huntington sued the three largest pharmaceutical distribution companies – AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson Corp. – claiming the companies were largely responsible for the opioid crisis after the companies shipped more than 81 million hydrocodone and oxycodone pills to the
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