Over a dozen Colorado local governments announced in August that they will be pursuing litigation against manufacturers and distributors of prescription opioids by selecting outside counsel. Led by the City and County of Denver, the municipal coalition also includes Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Jefferson, Larimer and Teller counties, and the cities of Aurora, Black Hawk, Commerce City, Northglenn, and the Town of Hudson.
The selected law firm, Keller Rohrback, is based in Seattle, WA and, among other clients, represents a large group of cities and counties who have sued opioid manufacturers and distributors in the State of Washington. No taxpayer funds will be spent on outside attorneys. The fee agreement negotiated by the cities and counties is contingent on a recovery, and any fees and costs will be taken from that recovery.
In 2016, opioids were involved in 42,249 deaths in the United States and over 550 in Colorado. Communities across the nation are reckoning with the rising (mis)use of opioids and resulting increase in overdoses. The epidemic has taken a huge toll on the country and Colorado, including deaths, visits to the emergency room, hospital stays, and unmeasurable pain felt by those who have become addicted to these drugs along with their families and communities.
The Colorado coalition recognizes that the opioid epidemic is one of the largest public health issues we face today, and that the impact of opioids (mis)use crosses jurisdictional boundaries. In his recent address, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock said: “We must be clear that this opioid crisis could have been avoided, yet for greed and indifference…[we] will use every legal tool available in holding opioid manufacturers and distributors liable.”
The intent of pursuing a litigation strategy is to drive industry reforms, enhance local level resources, and ultimately slow this growing crisis.