CLEVELAND – Plevin & Gallucci Company, L.P.A., one of the largest plaintiff law firms in Ohio, is serving as local counsel in a lawsuit filed today by Cuyahoga County, Ohio against manufacturers, distributors, and four individuals who were instrumental in promoting opioids for sale and distribution nationally and in the County. The lawsuit was filed with the State Court and the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas.
Cuyahoga County has seen a significant spike in overdose deaths due to opioids and some of the highest rates across the State of Ohio and the nation. The Ohio Department of Health reports that from 2011-2016, Cuyahoga County had a drug overdose death rate of 23.5 per 100,000 population.
The County’s opioid problem has created a crisis with no end in sight. In January 2017 alone, there were 46 fatal overdoses. As of June, it was predicted that the number of overdose deaths in the County in 2017 would reach 775. The County is seeking damages for the cost of increased health services, law enforcement services, social services, and other expenditures required by the opioid epidemic.
Manufacturer defendants include Purdue Pharma LP, Teva Pharmaceuticals, Cephalon, Janssen Pharmaceuticals. Distributor defendants include McKesson Corporation, Cardinal Health and AmerisourceBergen Corp.
In addition to Plevin & Gallucci, the County’s legal team includes national counsel Napoli Shkolnik, PLLC, which has filed many lawsuits against pharmaceutical firms, attorneys Leo Spellacy and Scott Elliot Smith, and the Cuyahoga County Department of Law.
Plevin & Gallucci Company, L.P.A., has 17 offices across Ohio, including primary offices in Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, and Waverly. The firm has won hundreds of millions of dollars in judgments and settlements for plaintiffs and has a statewide client base. Primary practice areas include workers’ compensation, personal injury, medical malpractice, and product liability.
To learn more, visit the firm’s website at plevinandgallucci.com.
Image Credit: Cuyahoga County
