La Paz County filed a lawsuit Wednesday in Arizona state court, accusing opioid manufacturers and distributors of creating an opioid crisis and causing suffering in rural communities.
The lawsuit, filed in La Paz County Superior Court, alleges Chandler-based Insys Therapeutics founder John Kapur, former CEO and president Michael Babich, Johnson & Several defendants are named, including Johnson.
Johnson & Johnson did not immediately respond to The Arizona Republic's request for comment. An Insys Therapeutics spokeswoman said the company declined to comment.
The complaint alleges that the defendants downplayed the dangers of opioids and engaged in a scheme to increase the number of opioids in La Paz County, just west of Maricopa County.
Mr. Kapoor and four other Insys Therapeutics executives were convicted in May of extortion charges of bribing and kickbacking doctors who prescribed fentanyl-based painkillers to patients who didn't need them. Babich and another co-conspirator pleaded guilty and testified against their former colleagues during the two-month trial.
At no cost, La Paz County retained a consortium of law firms to lead the case, with Fennemore Craig of Arizona and Theodora Olinger of Costa Mesa, California, serving as presiding judges.
“If it goes to trial, La Paz County will win this case. The damning and overwhelming weight of the evidence is undisputed,” Jeffrey Reeves, senior prosecutor at Theodora Olinger PC, wrote in an email. . “These manufacturers were well aware of the highly addictive nature of their products, but they actively concealed and misrepresented those properties when promoting their products to prescribers and patients. Their motives were clear. They made billions of dollars through this process.”
According to the Arizona Department of Health Services, from June 15 to July 4, 2017, there were 3,181 suspected opioid overdose deaths and 22,063 suspected opioid overdose deaths in the state. . There were fewer than 10 confirmed opioid overdoses in La Paz County, a county of about 21,000 people, according to the agency's website.
The county is seeking restitution for taxpayers lost as a result of the opioid crisis and relief to support La Paz County residents.
The nation's first state trial against a drug company began in Oklahoma on May 28, alleging that the drug companies marketed addictive opioids while exaggerating their effectiveness and downplaying the risks of addiction. The drug companies in the case deny Oklahoma's claims, saying they are part of a highly regulated industry and that doctors are responsible for prescribing drugs.
Reeves said in an email that he is not interested in tracking prescribers in La Paz County at this time.
A federal judge in Ohio is overseeing 1,500 consolidated opioid lawsuits brought by state, local and tribal governments, including the city of Phoenix, Cochise County and other Arizona governments. Reeves said there was no compelling reason for a federal judge in Ohio to rule on the La Paz County matter, saying he had “no (understanding) of the suffering that La Paz County has endured at the hands of La Paz County and the defendants.” There is a possibility.”
Here's where to contact the reporter: chelsea.curtis@arizonarepublic.com Or follow her on Twitter @curtis_chels.
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