Experienced and Passionate Attorneys
Our team has decades of combined experience fighting for our clients.
You can contact us at (206) 623-1900.
The country is in the throes of a national crisis—an opioid epidemic that is killing thousands of people every year. Opioid overdose deaths (which include prescription opioids as well as heroin) have risen steadily every year, from approximately 4,030 in 1999 to 15,597 in 2009 and to over 33,000 in 2015. In 2016, that toll climbed to 53,000. More than half of all opioid overdose deaths involve a prescription opioid, like those manufactured by Defendants.
Opioid manufacturers, Purdue Pharma, Endo Pharmaceuticals, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, among others, made billions of dollars pushing dangerous, highly addictive narcotics. State and local governments are saddled with the inordinate costs and burdens of the crisis created by the drugmakers’ greed and indifference.
The manufacturers aggressively marketed the pills to doctors and patients through a campaign of distortion and misinformation—claiming that opioids were safe and effective for the treatment of chronic pain and a wide range of other conditions, and that addiction was rare. None of this was true.
Obscured from the marketing was the fact that prescription opioids are not much different than heroin—indeed on a molecular level, they are virtually indistinguishable. They are synthesized from the same plant, have similar molecular structures, and bind to the same receptors in the human brain. It is no wonder then that there is a straight line between prescription opioid abuse and heroin addiction.
Keller Rohrback L.L.P. represents multiple government entities in filed complaints against prescription opioid manufacturers and distributors, including Purdue Pharma, Endo Pharmaceuticals, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, and other entities, for the reckless promotion and distribution of opioids. The suits seek to hold the Defendants accountable for their reckless promotion and distribution of the use of potent opioids for chronic pain while deliberately downplaying the significant risks of the addiction and overdose. Our clients are on the front line of combating the opioid crisis and have suffered significant economic damages as a result. For more details on the pending actions, please choose from the below listed actions.
City of Tacoma, Washington – Filed 09/13/2017
King County, Washington – Filed 01/05/2018
Skagit County, Washington, City of Mount Vernon, City of Sedro-Woolley, City of Burlington, La Conner School District, and Mount Vernon School District – Filed 01/25/2018
Pierce County, Washington – Filed 02/01/2018
Arizona Municipal Risk Retention Pool – Filed 02/01/2018
Thurston County, Washington – Filed 03/26/2018
Clark County, Washington – Filed 03/27/2018
Arizona School Alliance for Workers Compensation – Filed 04/18/2018
City of Kent, Washington – Filed 04/27/2018
Tulalip Tribes – Filed 04/27/2018
Clallam County, Washington – Filed 05/08/2018
Arizona Counties Insurance Pool – Filed 05/10/2018
Nez Perce Tribe – Filed 05/18/2018
Spokane County, Washington – Filed 06/21/2018
Whatcom County, Washington – Filed 06/27/2018
Cochise County, Arizona – Filed 06/29/2018
Franklin County, Washington – Filed 07/11/2018
City of Olympia, Washington – Filed 07/16/2018
Humboldt County, California – Filed 07/18/2018
Lummi Tribe of the Lummi Reservation – Filed 07/19/2018
Kitsap County, Washington – Filed 07/23/2018
Island County, Washington – Filed 08/01/2018
Walla Walla County, Washington – Filed 08/07/2018
Whitman County, Washington – Filed 08/09/2018
Kittitas County, Washington – Filed 08/09/2018
Jefferson County, Washington – Filed 08/14/2018
The Makah Indian Tribe – Filed 08/14/2018
Northwest Arizona Employee Benefit Trust – Filed 08/16/2018
City of Kingman, Arizona – Filed 08/16/2018
City of Eureka, California – Filed 08/30/2018
Chelan County, Washington – Filed 09/07/2018
San Juan County, Washington – Filed 11/12/2018
Maricopa County, Arizona – Filed 12/21/2018
Anacortes and Sedro-Woolley School District, Washington – Filed 12/21/2018
Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe, New York – Filed 12/21/2018
City of Thornton, Colorado – Filed 01/11/2019
Jefferson County, Colorado – Filed 01/11/2019
Missoula County, Montana – Filed 01/22/2019
Mohave County, Arizona – Filed 02/15/2019
Santa Barbara County, California – Filed 02/15/2019
City of Lakewood, Washington – Filed 03/06/2019
Navajo County, Arizona – Filed 03/12/2019
City of Brighton, Colorado – Filed 04/09/2019
Yuma County, Arizona – Filed 06/07/2019
City of Sheridan, Colorado – Filed 06/11/2019
City of Federal Heights, Colorado – Filed 06/11/2019
Ada County, Idaho – Filed 06/14/2019
Mesa County, Colorado – Filed 09/27/2019
City of Vancouver, Washington – Filed 10/1/2019
Lincoln County, Washington – Filed 10/07/2019
City of Bainbridge Island, Washington – Filed 10/08/2019
City of Greeley, Colorado – Filed 10/09/2019
City of Spokane, Washington – Filed 11/04/2019
City of Kirkland, Washington – Filed 03/11/2020
Hopi Tribe – Filed 06/19/2020
Opioids are commonly prescribed as pain relievers. The drugs work by binding to opioid receptors in the brain or body. Once they attach, they inhibit pain signals. Opioids include illegal drugs such as heroin and prescription medications such as OxyContin and Vicodin. Long-term use can lead to addiction and abuse. Prescription opioid abuse is often a gateway to heroin addiction. In fact, over 80 percent of new heroin addicts between 2008 and 2010 started with prescription opioids.
Oxycodone (such as OxyContin, Roxicodone, Percocet (a combo of oxycodone and acetaminophen))
Hydrocodone (Vicodin, Lorcet, Norco)
Morphine (Avinza, Kadian)
Fentanyl (Actiq, Duragesic, and Sublimaze)
Methadone (Dolophine, Methadose)
Codeine (generic forms)
Tramadol (ConZip, Ultram)
Hydromorphone (Dilaudid, Exalgo)
Oxymorphone (Opana)
The Family That Built an Empire on Pain (The New Yorker)
The Opioid Epidemic: A Crisis Years in the Making (New York Times, Oct. 26, 2017)
About the Epidemic (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services)
Opioid history: From ‘Wonder Drug’ to Abuse Epidemic (CNN, Oct. 14, 2016)
Our team has decades of combined experience fighting for our clients.
You can contact us at (206) 623-1900.