LI Jury Rules Drug Makers At Fault In 'Victorious' Opioid Lawsuit

HAUPPAUGE, NY — A Long Island jury came down with a landmark verdict against the drug manufacturer Teva Pharmaceuticals USA and its partners that distribute opioids, finding the companies responsible for driving the addiction epidemic in the region.

Attorneys for Nassau and Suffolk counties, which pursued the litigation along with New York State, said the companies could be required to pay billions of dollars in damages to help with drug treatment, prevention, and education programs, Newsday reported.

Jayne Conroy, an attorney representing Suffolk, which was the first to bring suit in 2016, told the outlet that the numbers are "staggering" for what it has cost communities and what it will continue to cost communities in New York "into the future, to have effective emergency medical services for overdose victims, to have Narcan available for everyone, to have the ability for individuals to enter into rehabilitation to deal with addiction."

In a news briefing in Hauppauge on Thursday, County Executive Steve Levy called the verdict "significant" because, for the first time a jury is "stating clearly that these companies drove the opioid epidemic that has caused such devastation to people's lives to families, to our communities, incredible costs to governments, absolute devastation, and a jury has now held them accountable."

The amount of money that will be awarded has not been determined yet, but rather it will be part of another legal proceeding and Bellone said officials expect the award also to be significant.

"This puts Suffolk County at the forefront of pursuing accountability and justice for the devastation caused by these manufacturers and distributors, to families and people's lives," he said, adding, "and they did this and I think a jury has now found it out of negligence and beyond that, out of greed."

He called it "a big step forward" in holding drug companies accountable.

"Accountability is absolutely critical," he said. "We need to see that across the board more in our country. And so today is a big victory for all of those families. All of those who have been impacted by this devastating epidemic — loved ones, the loss of life, can never, never be repaid, the harm can never be undone. But what we can do is hold those responsible accountable and today was a victory in that effort."