The Clock Is Ticking For Local Governments To Make Their Case Against Huge Drug Distributors

Time is running out for Huntington and Cabell County to make their case in federal court that the nation’s three largest drug distributors fueled the opioid crisis by shipping massive numbers of pain pills to West Virginia.

A third of their witnesses still need to take the stand, and the local governments’ legal team says objections from lawyers for the distributors have slowed down the process. And both sides are navigating a complex case the likes of which has never before been seen: it’s the country’s first trial seeking to hold drug distributors accountable for the crisis.

“I doubt any of us will ever forget this, but I would point out this is the first bellwether trial,” said Anthony Majestro, an attorney representing the county. “The rest of the country is watching this case.”

An enormous amount of money is at stake. The local governments are suing the companies — Cardinal Health, AmerisourceBergen and McKesson — seeking hundreds of millions of dollars to abate the devastation caused by the drug epidemic.

Read more: https://www.wvpublic.org/government/2021-06-15/the-clock-is-ticking-for-local-governments-to-make-their-case-against-huge-drug-distributors