The Albany Herald
ATLANTA — The office of Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr filed a lawsuit in Gwinnett County Superior Court on Thursday against opioid manufacturers and distributors for their alleged role in fueling the opioid crisis and its effects on Georgia citizens.
“No Georgia community is a stranger to the devastating effects of the opioid crisis,” Carr said. “We are bringing this lawsuit quite simply to seek justice for the citizens of Georgia. It is imperative that we recover for the widespread damage that has been caused by this epidemic.”
The lawsuit alleges that, in an effort to increase opioid use and thereby increase profits, the opioid manufacturers named in the suit embarked on a false and deceptive marketing campaign understating the addiction risks of opioids while overstating their benefits.
The complaint also alleges that to promote and add credibility to these claims, the manufacturers used front groups and key opinion leaders appearing to be independent and unbiased third parties that were actually paid and controlled by the manufacturers.
The lawsuit also alleges that the named opioid distributors supplied, sold and placed into the stream of commerce prescription opioids, without fulfilling their legal obligations to monitor, detect, report, investigate or otherwise prevent the fulfillment of suspicious orders.
“This behavior led to the predictable diversion of these dangerous drugs for illegitimate and/or non-medical purposes,” a news release issued by Carr’s office said.
The civil action – brought exclusively under Georgia law – seeks damages, injunctive relief and restitution for defendants’ conduct. The Barnes Law Group, Cooper Firm, Franklin Law LLC and Beasley Allen Law Firm is included in the legal team assisting in the state’s opioid investigation and litigation.
A full copy of the complaint can be found on Carr’s website.
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