A city in Massachusetts has added to the growing number of lawsuits against major pharmaceutical companies over their role in the current crisis of opioid addiction and overdose.

The city of Greenfield, Mass. alleges that manufacturers and distributors of opioids, including AmerisourceBergen, engaged in deceptive marketing and illegal advertising for their prescription opioids, which only added to the growing opioid epidemic in the city and nationwide.

According to the opioid addiction and overdose lawsuit, these opioid manufacturers both intentionally and “aggressively advertised to and persuaded doctors to prescribe highly addictive, dangerous opioids” and “turned patients into drug addicts for their own corporate profit.” The distributors of these drugs were not ignored: the lawsuit alleges that distributors intentionally “breached their legal duties under federal and state law to monitor, detect, investigate, refuse and report suspicious orders of prescription opiates.”

The city of Greenfield filed its lawsuit on Dec. 14, 2017, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. The opioid addiction and overdose lawsuit was filed on multiple counts, such as public nuisance, negligence, fraudulent misrepresentation and civil conspiracy, as well as several under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.

Greenfield is one of dozens of municipalities to target pharmaceutical companies in litigation, alleging that the city’s opioid addiction and overdose crisis was strongly affected by these companies and their actions or inactions.

Background of the Opioid Epidemic

Opioid painkillers, such as OxyContin, are often prescribed to treat pain by reducing the number of pain signals that the body sends to the brain. Unfortunately, these drugs can become extremely addictive, extremely quickly.

Addiction to opioids isn’t necessarily something that happens from misuse of these drugs — even just taking opioids at the direction of one’s doctor can quickly lead to addiction, and can ruin people’s lives and put them in danger of serious injuries.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), prescription opioid deaths have quadrupled since just 1999, a statistic that is tied closely with the increase in sales during that time.

As the opioid epidemic continues to grow, state attorneys general have been looking at pharmaceutical companies.

Opioid abuse can lead to a number of injuries, the most obvious of which is opioid addiction. Other problems include serotonin syndrome, androgen deficiency, adrenal insufficiency, overdose, and even death.

Opioid Addiction and Overdose Lawsuits

Lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies over opioid addiction and overdose have been filed from all over the country, including in Ohio, New Hampshire, New York, Chicago, Oregon, California, and Massachusetts. A slew of different opioids and their manufacturers and distributors are involved in these lawsuits.

If you or someone you love has suffered from an opioid addiction and overdose because of a painkiller prescribed by your doctor, you may be able to join the growing number of opioid epidemic lawsuits. While a lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering caused by opioid addiction and overdose, it can help to alleviate some of the accompanying financial burden.

The Opioid Addiction and Overdose Lawsuit is City of Greenfield v. AmerisourceBergen, et al., Case No. 3:17-cv-30175-MAP, in the U.S. District Court for the Western Division of the District of Massachusetts.

In general, opioid addiction lawsuits are filed individually by each plaintiff and are not class actions.

If you or a loved one developed an opioid addiction from a prescription painkiller, you may qualify to file an opioid addiction lawsuit or a painkiller addiction class action lawsuit. Get help by filling out the form on this page. It’s absolutely free to participate, so act now!

Learn More