Rockville’s Mayor and Council formally joined other state and local jurisdictions to take legal action against drug manufacturers and distributors for their role in the nationwide opioid crisis.
The lawsuits seek restitution for harm suffered because of deceptive and fraudulent marketing by several pharmaceutical manufacturers and the failure of certain wholesalers to report suspicious purchases. As a result, these manufacturers and wholesalers violated federal and state laws.
“Everyone knows someone who has been affected by the opioid crisis,” said Mayor Bridget Donnell Newton. “It’s time to hold the doctors, manufacturers and distributors accountable and change the way the industry does business. Pain management is an important part of healing but over prescribing has put an enormous burden on families and ruined countless lives.”
The City of Rockville retained the law firm Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd, which will file the lawsuits in the federal district court in Baltimore. Rockville joins the cities of Frederick and Bowie, the Mayor and Council of Westminster, and Caroline, Frederick, Garrett and Harford counties in the lawsuits.
“This is a public health emergency,” said Newton. “As leaders elected to help our cities and towns, it is our responsibility to protect our communities and put an end to these predatory and immoral practices.”