Clark County followed up on an earlier commitment Tuesday and filed a federal lawsuit against companies that manufacture, distribute, and sell prescription opioids.
The Clark County Council had voted unanimously Feb. 20 to join the suit, which contends the drug manufacturers “contributed to the opioid crisis by deliberately providing false and misleading information to doctors and patients about the safety of prescription opioids,” according to a news release from the county.
Specifically, the complaint alleges the defendants violated the Washington Consumer Protection Act and the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, according to the county. In addition, the suit claims the drug companies’ conduct constitutes a public nuisance, negligence, gross negligence and unjust enrichment under state law.
Heroin use rose significantly as prescription opioids became more available, according to the county, which added opioid use caused more deaths in the county than traffic accidents over the last two years.
According to the county, 91 people died of opioid-related deaths that did not involve heroin from 2014 to 2017.
The county also said:
• Publicly funded treatment admission involving opioids grew 246 percent between 2002 to 2004 and 2011 to 2013.
• The Clark County Sheriff’s Office estimates that it has spent more than $5.5 million related to the opioid addiction epidemic in the last three years.
• Property loss attributed to opioid-related crimes is estimated to exceed $1 million annually.
“The increased use of opioids over the last 20 years has had a devastating effect on our community,” Marc Boldt, Clark County Council Chair, said in the county’s news release. “It’s time to hold these drug companies accountable and take steps to reverse this disturbing trend.”
The Seattle-based law firm of Keller Rohrback filed the lawsuit on behalf of Clark County. The firm also filed similar lawsuits on behalf of King, Skagit, Pierce and Clallam counties, and the cities of Tacoma, Mount Vernon, Burlington and Sedro-Woolley.
The firm will be paid only if the county recovers damages in a settlement or at trial, the county said.
