Court Rejects Opioid Manufacturers’ Plea

Court Rejects Opioid Manufacturers’ Plea

Introduction

A lawsuit brought by the District Attorney of Santa Clara County Counsel and the Orange County on behalf of the People of the State of California was finally allowed to move forward as per the Orange County Superior Court’s order rejecting efforts by opioid manufacturers to dismiss a lawsuit.

The lawsuit, filed in May 2014, alleges that the defendants—including opioid manufacturers Purdue Pharma L.P., Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Endo Health Solutions, Inc., and Actavis PLC—engaged in a deceptive marketing scheme that trivialized the risks of opioids, resulted in rampant over-prescribing, and led to a nationwide epidemic of opioid abuse and addiction.

With this decision, the litigation can move on to the discovery of key documents to demonstrate the manufacturers’ misconduct.