stock image of prescription pill bottles
Brunswick, GA - A civil trial that for the first time involves claims from private plaintiffs and not states or local governments against pharmaceutical distributors related to the opioid crisis begins Monday in Georgia state court, and Courtroom View Network will webcast the proceedings gavel-to-gavel.
The trial in Glynn County Superior Court, believed to be the first of its kind, was filed under the Georgia Drug Dealer Liability Act, a law meant to hold drug dealers liable for injuries resulting from drug use. This presents a novel type of trial for defendants Cardinal Health and McKesson, who previously faced lawsuits based on “private nuisance” claims related to opioid addiction brought by state attorneys general and municipal entities.
The 21 plaintiffs in the pending trial are all private individuals, many of whom are minors. The trial is expected to draw close scrutiny from both plaintiff and defense attorneys involved in the sprawling, myriad opioid-related litigation playing out in state and federal courts across the county.
According to the complaint, the defendants allegedly distributed opioids in Glynn County on a scale that far exceeded the amount expected for legitimate use. The defendants maintain they were distributing medications fully approved by the FDA that were prescribed by licensed physicians.
The full trial is expected to take roughly four weeks to complete. CVN’s video coverage will commence at the start of opening statements and continue for the duration of the proceedings.
The plaintiffs are represented by Bondurant Mixon & Elmore LLP, Griffin Durham Tanner & Clarkson LLC, The Harrison Firm, and Model PA.
Cardinal is represented by Williams & Connolly LLP and by Baker & Hostetler LLP.
McKesson is represented by Hunter MacLean Exley & Dunn PC and Kremlin & Horst LLC.
The case is captioned Joseph Poppell, et al. v. Cardinal Health Inc., et al., case number CE19-00472 in Glynn County Superior Court.
E-mail David Siegel at dsiegel@cvn.com
