Bordertown ‘in’ with opioid lawsuit considered ‘wonderful’ representation in class-action lawsuit

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“As your community knows, the problem is that these companies said that oxycontin and other opioids are not addicting and that is false information and that information didn’t stop at the limit, and neither did the opioids,” said lawyer Matthew Farrell.

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The city legal department was asked to investigate the possibility of the city of Sault Ste. Marie officially joins a class action lawsuit against opioid manufacturers and distributors.

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District 5 Coun. Corey Gardi drafted the motion, which was approved by the council on Monday.

He told the council that the city of Grande Prairie, Alta., Filed a $ 10 billion class action lawsuit against opioid manufacturers and distributors in June 2020.

The aim of the lawsuit is to reimburse community costs related to the opioid crisis in favor of Canadian communities.

Employees have now been tasked with investigating the possibility of being involved in the lawsuit, the benefits and / or risks involved, and reporting on their findings and recommendations. The report is expected to be finalized for a council meeting in late September or early October.

The city legal department would not comment on the matter until a report is finalized for the city council.

Jeffrey Broadbent, a local attorney and chairman of Willow Addiction Support Services, a nonprofit that created the first safe consumer facility in Sault Ste. Marie said class actions are different from other legal proceedings because they are brought on behalf of all people, groups, organizations, and even communities with common problems.

Class actions have to be “upheld” by the court, he said, and that can take time.

The Calgary-based law firm is reportedly the lead firm in the class action lawsuit, working with a US law firm with similar experience, previous reports have shown.

“I find it strange that there is nothing about it on their website, or that it may have been removed, but the usual way to bring the matter to the attention of other potential plaintiffs and witnesses,” Broadbent told The Sault Star.

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However, Matthew Farrell, one of two Guardian Law attorneys handling the case, said the class action information on the firm’s website was geared towards consumer-centric legal matters and the case is very much alive.

He said the company was in the process of completing its service to the 40 international companies named in the complaint.

“As you can imagine, we would expect some resistance from them, but we hope this will be completed in the next month or so,” Farrell told The Sault Star.

On a second front, Farrell said his company is closely monitoring the current Perdue Pharma bankruptcy process in New York.

The family that owns Perdue, the makers of OxyContin, have filed for bankruptcy after a number of communities in Canada and the United States sued them in connection with the opioid epidemic. Their proposed settlement provides for a new company to be formed and the profits of the existing company used to settle claims – but only for US companies. They also want to be exempted from further lawsuits from others.

Grande Prairie is also leading the indictment on Canadian communities, but the problem, Farrell said, is that the proposed deal only affects the government and communities of the United States, and leaves Canada out of the picture.

Farrell said he argues that this is both illegal and unfair.

“That means that Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, would get anywhere between $ 4 billion and $ 5 billion for Perdue for being an American city, but you won’t get a penny on your side of the river or the International Bridge, ”he said. “The reality is that these manufacturers and distributors should treat similar creditors in a similar way, but in this case they are trying to get a deal with the US, show that deal to the world and not consider anyone else, so we have each other reported. “

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Farrell said he thinks it is “wonderful” that the city council is keen to learn more and perhaps join the class action lawsuit.

“As your community knows, the problem is that these companies said that OxyContin and other opioids are not addicting and that is false information and that information didn’t stop at the limit, and neither did the opioids,” he said.

Farrell said it was unfair and unjust that communities in the US are getting billions of dollars and these companies are trying to foreclose Canada.

Broadbent said he thought it would be a good idea for the community to look into the possibility of joining the bulk process, although the latest laws do not require it to do so.

In fact, applicants who meet the criteria will be automatically enrolled when the bulk process is certified and the class defined in the court order, and if they choose not to attend, they can opt out.

“If the action is by definition the city of Sault Ste. Marie, that can also be successful and economical, ”he said.

There is no risk to a plaintiff and the city would not be at risk from adverse legal costs that could become costly in individual lawsuits.

“I think the value of a community like a frontier town like Sault Ste. Ascending Marie is important. There is a saying, ‘What difference does a limit make?’ “Farrell said.

Gardi agreed. “I doubt any community in this coast-to-coast country has been spared the opioid epidemic,” he told the council.

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Canadian parishes, including Sault Ste. Marie, have spent millions and millions of dollars on health care, including emergency calls from ambulances and fire departments to respond to opioid-related overdoses, an increase in policing related to opioid-related crime, and an escalation in homelessness as a result of the crisis.

In addition, more money was spent on treatment and addiction centers and on crisis management.

Meanwhile, according to its preamble, pharmaceutical companies producing prescription opioids have participated in extensive marketing campaigns to expand their markets and market share, and have made billions in profits for both manufacturers and retailers.

Grande Prairie found in the lawsuit that Canadian communities were “hit by the national opioid crisis”.

The lawsuit names more than 40 companies as defendants.

To date, the representative plaintiffs are Grande Prairie and Brantford, Ontario.

Brantford had announced that it would take a stand and hold pharmaceutical companies accountable for the negative effects of the opioid crisis on communities.

This is believed to be the first lawsuit of its kind in Canada, despite having been tried several times in the United States.

This class action lawsuit is separate from a lawsuit filed in 2018 by the Province of British Columbia on behalf of the provincial health insurance companies. This lawsuit alleges healthcare costs incurred by the provinces in treating people suffering from the crisis.

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