{"id":355830,"date":"2018-07-20T12:17:10","date_gmt":"2018-07-20T17:17:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/healthcare\/patient-rights\/opioid-lawsuits.html"},"modified":"2025-09-15T16:35:47","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T21:35:47","slug":"opioid-lawsuits","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/healthcare\/patient-rights\/opioid-lawsuits.html","title":{"rendered":"Opioid Lawsuits"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Opioid Lawsuits<\/h1>\n\n
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\n By Lyle Therese A. Hilotin-Lee, J.D.<\/a> | Legally reviewed by Jordan Walker, J.D.<\/a>\n | Last updated\n
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This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy, clarity, and style by FindLaw\u2019s team of legal writers and attorneys<\/a> and in accordance with our editorial standards<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n\n

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The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

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Understanding opioid lawsuits involves examining how massive legal actions against pharmaceutical companies, distributors, and healthcare providers led to nearly $60 billion in settlements and major reforms in drug regulation and patient protection laws. The lawsuits exposed false advertising, regulatory violations under the Controlled Substances Act, and failures to monitor opioid distribution, reshaping patient protection laws and oversight of opioids in the United States.<\/i><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n\n\n\n

Opioid lawsuits are one of the largest types of\u00a0liability settlements in the United States, with agreements reaching almost $60 billion. These cases reshaped how the country creates\u00a0opioid regulatory rules and patient protection. If you have questions related to opioid cases, it’s a good idea to contact a\u00a0healthcare attorney<\/a>. They can help you understand the intricate laws that govern the opioid crisis.<\/p>\n

Understanding the Regulatory Foundation of Opioid Cases<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The\u00a0Controlled Substances Act (CSA)<\/a> establishes the provisions that regulate controlled substances, including prescribing opioids. It was enacted in 1970 as Title II of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act. This Act serves as the legal foundation for many opioid related enforcement and lawsuits.<\/p>\n

Pharmaceutical companies and drug manufacturers violated CSA requirements through\u00a0their business practices. These practices led to widespread addiction and engendered\u00a0subsequent legal actions.<\/p>\n

The term “opioid<\/a>”\u00a0refers to a broad class of drugs. It includes poppy-derived opiates such as morphine and heroin, along with\u00a0synthetic opiates such as fentanyl, oxycodone, and hydrocodone. Drug makers marketed these substances as safe and not prone to abuse due to\u00a0protective coatings that allow for time-released dosage. However, many patients remained addicted after their prescriptions ran out. This led to the substance abuse of heroin, fentanyl, or other illicit opioids.<\/p>\n

Companies sold these drugs using false claims,\u00a0prompting the federal government to implement stricter protocols.\u00a0Under the CSA,<\/a>\u00a0pharmaceutical companies manufacturing these drugs must register with the\u00a0Drug Enforcement Administration<\/a>\u00a0(DEA) and\u00a0comply with strict manufacturing quotas and reporting requirements.<\/p>\n

Often, opioid lawsuits concern the companies’ failure to follow CSA requirements. Companies\u00a0fail to monitor suspicious orders of controlled substances and\u00a0to report these orders to prevent\u00a0illegal use and drug abuse<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Opioid Lawsuits: Federal, Tribal, State, and Local<\/strong><\/h2>\n

State resources became stressed due to skyrocketing addiction rates and overdoses. As a result, many states filed lawsuits against opioid manufacturers and distributors. There were also suits\u00a0filed by the\u00a0Cherokee Nation<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0other Native American tribes. Patient advocacy groups also supported these efforts to hold companies accountable.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A growing\u00a0list of states<\/a>\u00a0filed lawsuits. These states include Ohio, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Missouri, New Hampshire, Texas, Florida, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, and Tennessee. Ohio was particularly hard-hit by the epidemic.<\/p>\n

These complaints were consolidated into\u00a0federal Multi-District Litigation proceedings<\/span>\u00a0in the\u00a0Federal District\u00a0Court in Cleveland, Ohio, in December 2017. Plaintiffs in the suit alleged the following, stating that they contributed to the current opioid epidemic:<\/p>\n