City of Overland Park files federal lawsuit against opioid manufacturers
Federal lawsuit alleges deceptive marketing and advertising to doctors, patients
Federal lawsuit alleges deceptive marketing and advertising to doctors, patients
The city of Overland Park, Kansas, filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday against multiple opioid manufactures and distributors, accusing them of deceptive advertising and marketing.
The 150-page lawsuit filed in the Kansas District of United States District Court seeks to “recoup taxpayer moneys” that have been spent because of the opioid crisis in Overland Park, the state of Kansas and the United States.
“The manufacturers aggressively pushed highly addictive, dangerous opioids, falsely representing to doctors that patients would only rarely succumb to drug addiction,” the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit alleges significant costs incurred by city workers and hazards to public health because of opioid abuse. It follows a pattern of similar lawsuits across the country against opioid manufacturers.
“Cities and counties in Kansas and Missouri expend public funds to counter the public nuisance of the opioid epidemic caused by the failure of manufacturers and distributors to adequately monitor and report suspicious prescribing activity,” said Brian Madden, attorney for Wagstaff and Cartmell, LLP, on Wednesday. “Our lawsuit seeks to recover damages for Overland Park to deal with the ongoing public cost of the opioid epidemic.”
One of the first defendants in the lawsuit is Purdue Pharmaceuticals, the makers of Oxycontin.
An email to Purdue officials was not immediately returned Wednesday.
An analysis by Bloomberg News found more than 900 cases across the country filed on behalf of local governments and tribes against opioid manufacturers.
Earlier this year, The Associated Press reported at least 16 other governments in Kansas and Missouri have filed opioid suits, including Jackson and Cass counties in Missouri and Sedgwick County in Kansas.
A federal judge in Cleveland is coordinating efforts between the parties to consolidate litigation across the country.
For at least two years, KMBC has highlighted an ongoing reporting series called State of Addiction, highlighting several stories of first responders, public health officials and hospital workers dealing with the country’s opioid crisis.