Opioid lawsuits are flooding in as the opioid epidemic continues, and attorneys say that these opioid lawsuits will likely soon be consolidated into an MDL, or multidistrict litigation.

Indeed, new opioid lawsuits are being filed on an almost daily basis, and consolidation into an MDL may be required for the sake of efficiency.

If these opioid lawsuits are brought together, however, the MDL would stand out a bit from the norm. Generally, lawsuits in an MDL target the same defendant, but in the opioid lawsuits, many pharmaceutical companies are named as defendants.

Other than a variety of defendants, however, the opioid lawsuits share significant similarities, such as questions of distribution, manufacture, and sales methods and motivations that hold true across the drug market.

So far, over 100 individual opioid lawsuits have been filed during the ongoing opioid epidemic. At least one proposed class action waits in Arkansas. Moreover, 41 state attorneys general have banded together and launched a joint investigation into the roles of various drugmakers and distributors in the opioid crisis. This may result in a variety of new opioid lawsuits.

Background of the Opioid Epidemic

Opioid painkillers are often prescribed to treat pain. They actually belong to the same class of drugs as heroin. Their job is to reduce the number of pain signals that the body sends to the brain.

Unfortunately, opioids can end up causing patients to feel an addictive euphoria. Opioid addiction isn’t necessarily something that happens from misuse of the drug—even just taking opioids at the direction of the doctor can quickly lead to addiction.  Opioid addiction can ruin lives and put people in danger of serious injuries.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), prescription opioid deaths have quadrupled since 1999, coinciding with the increase in opioid sales during that time. This dramatic increase comes despite the fact that Americans have not reported a change in pain levels that would require this increase in opioid intake.

As the big pharma opioid epidemic grows ever more concerning, state attorneys general have begun looking at pharmaceutical companies themselves, in a similar manner to how the tobacco industry was targeted back in the 1990s. Opioid abuse can lead to a number of injuries, the most obvious of which is an opioid addiction. Other problems include serotonin syndrome, androgen deficiency, adrenal insufficiency, overdose, and even death.

Joining the Growing Number of Opioid Lawsuits

Opioid lawsuits claim that drug companies downplayed the severity of the addictive risks of opioids, placing company profit over the safety of patients. Lawsuits over the opioid epidemic have been filed from all over the country, including in Ohio, New Hampshire, New York, Chicago, Oregon, and California. Dozens of different opioids are involved in these lawsuits.

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

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

Do YOU have a legal claim? Fill out the form on this page now for a free, immediate, and confidential case evaluation. The attorneys who work with Top Class Actions will contact you if you qualify to let you know if an individual opioid addictino lawsuit or opioid addiction class action lawsuit is best for you. Hurry — statutes of limitations may apply.

Learn More