Hi there,

There has never been a more urgent time for courageous, daily, independent news. Media is essential to the functioning of a democratic society. Can you support Democracy Now! with a $15 donation today? With your contribution, we can continue to go to where the silence is, to bring you the voices of the silenced majority – those calling for peace in a time of war, demanding action on the climate catastrophe and advocating for racial and economic justice. Every dollar makes a difference. Thank you so much!

Democracy Now!
Amy Goodman

Non-commercial news needs your support.

We rely on contributions from you, our viewers and listeners to do our work. If you visit us daily or weekly or even just once a month, now is a great time to make your monthly contribution.

Please do your part today.

Donate

Landmark Trial on Opioid Epidemic Opens in West Virginia Federal Court

HeadlineMay 04, 2021

In West Virginia, a landmark trial kicked off in federal court Monday as local governments seek accountability from drug companies over the opioid crisis. The city of Huntington and Cabell County in West Virginia are seeking over $1 billion from the nation’s three largest drug distributors: McKesson, AmerisourceBergen and Cardinal Health. Plaintiffs say the companies flooded their communities with addictive pain medications despite their known dangers, causing a “public nuisance” and fueling the country’s devastating opioid epidemic, which has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. If the case is successful, it could have major implications for thousands of similar lawsuits around the country, brought by cities, counties, Native American tribes and other plaintiffs.

The original content of this program is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Please attribute legal copies of this work to democracynow.org. Some of the work(s) that this program incorporates, however, may be separately licensed. For further information or additional permissions, contact us.

Non-commercial news needs your support

We rely on contributions from our viewers and listeners to do our work.
Please do your part today.
Make a donation
Top