Four upstate New York cities are suing the manufacturers and distributors of opioid painkillers.
Plattsburgh, Albany, Schenectady and Troy allege the companies misled health care providers about the addiction risks associated with prescribing opioids and failed to control or report suspicious orders of opioids that flooded communities and devastated families. The lawsuits were filed by the Albany law firm Dreyer Boyajian LaMarche Safranko PLLC. Founding partner Donald Boyajian spoke with WAMC last year: “This is a real problem in virtually every municipality in that there’s increased numbers of EMS and first responders responding to overdose and other issues. So it involves costs for police and for fire and for the drugs which are administered.”
While not mentioning specific damages, the suits seek to recoup costs expended by the municipalities.