Resolution authorizing City to be Plaintiff in Opioid Litigation - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Resolution authorizing City to be Plaintiff in Opioid Litigation

Jennifer Magaña, City Attorney Law Department September 3, 2019

Multi-District Opioid Litigation

• Approximately 2,000 cities, counties and other

local governments have filed individual lawsuits against opioid manufacturers and distributors and pharmacies for opioid-crisis related claims

• The Northern District Court of Ohio is coordinating

multiple lawsuits with common claims arising from

• pioid crisis

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Common theory of cases

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Plaintiffs allege that the manufacturers of prescription opioids grossly misrepresented the risks of long-term use of those drugs for persons with chronic pain, and distributors failed to properly monitor suspicious orders

• f those prescription drugs--all of which

contributed to the current opioid epidemic.

City of Wichita as Plaintiff

• City would join multi-district litigation as a Plaintiff to seek

monetary damages against multiple defendants incurred as a result of the economic burden of the opioid crisis

• City would be an individual Plaintiff
• Proposed representation by Hutton & Hutton Firm Group

would be on 20% contingency fee basis

• No cost to City, but staff time would be required to provide

necessary documentation of damages

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• City would file a lawsuit as a governmental entity

plaintiff and submit documentation of damages resulting from opioid crisis-related economic burdens specific to City

• Bellwether case will test legal arguments and

determine how future opioid cases will be evaluated

• No guarantee of a particular outcome or of recovery

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Recommendation

• Adopt resolution authorizing City to become a

plaintiff in multi-district litigation against opioid manufacturers and distributors, and pharmacies and approving engagement of the Hutton and Hutton firm group to represent the City of Wichita

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