Opioids
In May 2014, the Santa Clara County Counsel’s Office, along with the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, filed the nation’s first government-initiated lawsuit to hold opioid manufacturers accountable for their role in creating the opioid epidemic.
Brought on behalf of the People of the State of California, the lawsuit alleges that the opioid manufacturers engaged in a sophisticated and deceptive marketing campaign to promote opioids for use in treating chronic pain while knowingly downplaying the risks, leading to an explosion of opioid prescriptions and widespread opioid addiction and abuse. The lawsuit seeks injunctive relief to prevent such practices in the future, civil penalties, and abatement of the public nuisance created by the overwhelming increase in opioid abuse and addiction.
The Oakland City Attorney and Los Angeles County Counsel joined the lawsuit in 2018. The trial began on April 19, 2021 in Orange County Superior Court. The case is People of the State of California v. Purdue Pharma, et al., Orange County Superior Court, Case No. CGC-13-534108.
Trial Information
- Opioid Litigation Fact Sheet
- Reuters Legal, First witness in Calif. opioid trial chastises drug cos for taking facts out of context (April 21, 2021)
- Wall Street Journal, Drugmakers Go on Trial Over Opioid Epidemic (April 18, 2021)
- Reuters, Drug companies to face first opioid trial following pandemic delays (April 16, 2021)
For more trial information, visit http://caopioidtrial.com/
County Counsel Press Contact: Please direct media inquiries to County Counsel James R. Williams, at (408) 299-5902 or [email protected].
Case Information
- County Press Release: Court’s Ruling Clears the Way for April Trial Against Opioid Manufacturers (Mar. 15, 2021)
- Sixth Amended Complaint