Chautauqua County to Join Lawsuit Against Drug Companies for Alleged Connection to Growing Addiction Epidemic

MAYVILLE – The Chautauqua County Legislature has unanimously approved moving forward with a lawsuit against major drug manufacturers for their role in the opioid epidemic.

The legislature voted 19-0 Wednesday night in favor of the resolution, which would allow the county to sign on with a group of other counties in New York State that want to sue pharmaceutical companies and recoup money and resources that have been dedicated to the fight against opioid addiction.

Chautauqua county executive Vince Horrigan said the lawsuit would be similar to the one that previously took place against big tobacco.

“We know what the opioid crisis has done and we know, in so many ways, prescription drugs is where it started. I like this to the tobacco settlement. You look at the magnitude of health issues that tobacco has caused and over time there was a massive settlement. We built the new jail with some of the proceeds,” Horrigan said following Wednesday’s meeting. “I believe firmly that down the road when more comes out of this there were will be some type of settlement and I want to recoup some of the costs that the county is experiencing.”

As part of the resolution, Horrigan said the county will be working with a law firm that is also working with other counties to prepare a case against the drug companies.

“It’s all contingency. It won’t cost us anything unless there is a settlement. Our county attorney is looking at one he thought was the best, most efficient way to go so we’ll be joining with them,” Horrigan said. “Right now New York State has not joined with this, but Ohio and other states have and I think there are 11 or 12 counties in New York State have now joined.”

Opioid overdoses have seen a sharp increase in recent years, with many of those overdoses the result of people using heroin and other drugs laced with fentanyl and other synthetic opioids. Some reports claim that a portion of those battling addiction first become addicted to opioids through prescription drugs, which some drug manufacturers pushed on physicians treating patients dealing with pain.