October 2019
CLEVELAND – Mark Lanier, lead trial counsel for two Ohio counties in what would have been the first federal trial related to damages caused by the opioid addiction epidemic, says the $260 million settlement reached with five Big Pharma defendants should allow devastated communities to receive aid quickly.
“The key consideration was to get financial relief as quickly as possible to the local governments that have paid the price for this epidemic for many years,” he said. “This incremental step will change a small corner of the globe ravaged by opioids. We need to make this a step ladder to a larger resolution.”
Opening statements were scheduled to be heard October 21 in the court of U.S. District Judge Dan A. Polster of the Northern District of Ohio. Mr. Lanier says the last-minute settlement is a tribute to the collective preparation of the team of plaintiffs’ attorneys involved, which resulted in overwhelming evidence against the defendants.
“The trail of documents and testimony we assembled clearly showed conspiratorial corporate behavior that promoted the abuse of and addiction to these dangerous drugs,” Mr. Lanier said. “The weight of that evidence was insurmountable and brought about this settlement.”
Counsel for the trial with Mr. Lanier included Peter Weinberger of Spangenberg Shibley & Liber LLP, Donald Migliori of Motley Rice LLC, and Hunter Shkolnik of Napoli Shkolnik PLLC.