CPM represents the County of San Mateo in litigation against the companies responsible for the opioid crisis. The lawsuits aim to address the financial burden on the County from the opioid epidemic, and importantly, the high death rate attributable to opioid use. The suits allege that the defendant opioid manufacturers and distributors have created a public nuisance by selling billions of opioid pills that have flooded local communities, including San Mateo County. The San Mateo cases are part of a massive multi-district litigation being overseen by the Federal Courts. The $26 billion settlement represents only a partial settlement of claims – claims against numerous other entities continue to wend their way through the courts. Notably, San Mateo was one of the first government entities to highlight the role of the Sackler Family in the opioid crisis – claims against the Sacklers continue and are not resolved by the settlement with the distributors and J&J. The attorneys handling the case are CPM’s Joe Cotchett, Anne Marie Murphy, Julia Peng and Veena Bhatia.
