TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Legal Newsline) — Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi announced May 15 that her office is suing a group of major pharmaceutical companies for their alleged role in the national opioid epidemic.
Bondi’s office filed a lawsuit against opioid manufacturers Purdue Pharma LP, Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc., Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc., Cephalon Inc., and Allergan PLC and related companies, plus opioid distributors AmerisourceBergen Drug Corporation, Cardinal Health Inc., McKesson Corporation, and Mallinckrodt LLC and a related company.
Bondi’s office filed the complaint in Pasco County Circuit Court and alleged violations of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act and the Florida RICO Act.
“We are in the midst of a national opioid crisis claiming 175 lives a day nationally and 15 lives a day in Florida, and I will not tolerate anyone profiting from the pain and suffering of Floridians,” Bondi said in a statement. “The complaint I filed seeks to hold some of the nation’s largest opioid manufacturers and distributors responsible for their role in this crisis and seeks payment for the pain and destruction their actions have caused Florida and its citizens.”