Horry and Marion Counties Sue Opioid Painkiller Manufacturers

Each day in America, 115 people die because of an opioid overdose.1 This category includes prescription medications, heroin and fentanyl. In 2016, 42,249 people died from opioid overdose, and 2.1 million people misused opioid prescription medications for the first time that year.2 We now know that misuse of prescription opioid painkillers commonly leads to first-time use of heroin and drugs like fentanyl. Whetstone Perkins & Fulda is proud to represent Marion, Dillon, Lancaster and Horry counties in a lawsuit against certain manufacturers of dangerous opioid medications.

South Carolina Counties are Suing Drug Companies

Opioid painkiller misuse in Columbia SCIn the 1990s, drug companies began aggressively marketing prescription opioid pain relievers. Many believe there is evidence that these drug companies improperly marketed these drugs as safe and benign, when in fact they are highly addictive. Fast forward a few decades and most of the country is dealing with a massive opioid drug crisis killing more than 100 Americans each day.

Our law firm hopes that lawsuits against these drug companies will help to slow the flow of these medications into our counties and communities. Additionally, we are pursuing monetary damages on behalf of the counties for their monetary losses, both present and future.

This lawsuit is part of a mass litigation, which involves dozens of suits that will be handled together. And this is just in South Carolina. Cities and counties across the country are taking similar action against painkiller manufacturers.

Our lawsuit seeks to hold them accountable for deceptive marketing, filling suspicious orders and other issues.

This crisis has hit our state hard. Staggering numbers of prescriptions for opioid painkillers have been written in Horry and Marion counties. The CDC says there were 115 opioid prescriptions written out of every 100 people in Marion County. For Horry County, there were 110 prescriptions per 100 people.3

Costs: Human and Economic

We are holding these drug companies accountable for the toll the opioid crisis has had on counties throughout South Carolina. On behalf of these counties, we are seeking financial restitution for the death, pain and suffering that so many have experienced. We are also seeking restitution for the economic costs shouldered by counties and taxpayers because of the epidemic, such as:

  • Healthcare and emergency services
  • Police staffing, response and training
  • Reversal drug kits
  • Lost productivity
  • Addiction treatment
  • Criminal justice services
  • Coroner services

Man in sorrow following prescription painkiller overdose Myrtle Beach SC

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, prescription opioid misuse costs the United States an estimated $78.5 billion a year.

Currently Reviewing Claims Related to this Matter

We are proud to represent Marion County, Lancaster County, Dillon County and Horry County in this matter, and, indirectly, the taxpayers who live in these counties. If you think you may have a claim related to this matter, we are interested in discussing it with you. For a free case review with our experienced attorneys in Kingstree, Columbia, Myrtle Beach and Marion, please contact our team today.

Sources:

1www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/opioids/opioid-overdose-crisis

2www.hhs.gov/opioids/about-the-epidemic

3www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/local/article198762744.html

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