First Of Its Kind Opioid Trial Begins Today In Central Islip

CENTRAL ISLIP, NY — The first ever sweeping juried trial to assign culpability for the deadly opioid epidemic to pharmaceutical companies and distributors began opening arguments Tuesday in Central Islip. Nassau and Suffolk Counties are plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit along with the New York State Attorney General.

The lawsuit originally named pharmaceutical giants Purdue Pharma and Johnson & Johnson along with chain pharmacies CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid and Walmart. But Purdue has filed for bankruptcy, and the pharmacies and Johnson & Johnson all reached settlements with New York State. The $230 million Johnson & Johnson settlement requires the company to cease opioid manufacturing in the U.S. permanently.

The first day of testimony is being held at Touro College’s Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center auditorium because the many defendants means the trial can't fit in a courtroom. Manufacturers of generic opioid drugs like Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and Allergan Inc., and suppliers such as Cardinal Health and McKesson Corp. are all expected to take the stand, according to the New York Times.

The prosecutors will attempt to show the named parties continued flooding New York with the drugs with no regard to the human cost of opioid abuse, addiction and mortality. The lawsuit is the first in the country to name manufacturers along with suppliers, targeting the entire opioid chain.

Letitia James, the New York Attorney General, reacted to the Johnson & Johnson settlement.

"No amount of money will ever compensate for the countless lives lost or those who became addicted to opioids across our state, but these funds will be used to prevent future devastation. This is a major step in our fight to end the opioid epidemic, but our work isn't over."

"Our trial against the remaining defendants starts next week, and we will lay bare their callous and deadly misconduct which destroyed the lives of far too many New Yorkers."