City and County of San Francisco et al v. Purdue Pharma L.P. et al

  1. July 21, 2022

    SF, Walgreens Continue Opioid Bellwether Battle Post-Trial

    In post-trial filings Wednesday, San Francisco argued Walgreens' failure to prevent the diversion of "dangerous and highly addictive" opioids it distributed and dispensed "substantially contributed" to the city's opioid crisis, while the pharmacy giant held firm that the case lacked evidence of any harm by an opioid it sold.

  2. July 13, 2022

    Walgreens Says SF Opioid Case Has 'Fatal Flaw' As Trial Ends

    Left as the lone defendant in a bellwether bench trial brought by San Francisco over the city's opioid crisis, Walgreens argued during its closing arguments Wednesday that the city didn't show any evidence its pharmacists dispensed medically inappropriate drugs — a "fatal flaw" in the case against it.

  3. July 12, 2022

    Walgreens Allowed Iffy Opioid Orders, SF Says At Trial Wrap

    Walgreens didn't maintain effective controls to prevent prescription opioids from being diverted to individuals for illicit uses, lawyers for San Francisco told a federal judge Tuesday during closing trial arguments that followed an announcement that defendants Allergan and Teva struck settlements worth nearly $58 million to exit the litigation.

  4. July 12, 2022

    $58M Opioid Deal Cuts Allergan, Teva From SF Bellwether Trial

    San Francisco struck settlements worth almost $58 million with Allergan and Teva Pharmaceuticals on Tuesday in the sole ongoing trial over the pharmaceutical industry's role in a nationwide crisis of opioid abuse, leaving Walgreens as the last company in the closely watched showdown.

  5. July 08, 2022

    W.Va. Opioid Verdict Widens Judge-Jury Split On Vital Theory

    A resounding victory by drug distributors in a bench trial over West Virginia's catastrophic opioid crisis underscores a growing gulf between judges and juries in broader opioid litigation, with judges increasingly rejecting a crucial legal theory while juries embrace it.

  6. June 30, 2022

    SF Says Pharmaceutical Cos. Created City's Opioid Crisis

    A lawyer for San Francisco has told a California federal judge overseeing a bellwether bench trial in multidistrict opioid litigation that Anda, Allergan, Teva and Walgreens promoted and distributed the powerful painkillers in ways that created a public nuisance that endangered the health and safety of the city's residents.

  7. June 27, 2022

    As Opioid Trial Ends, Judge Jokes Of 'Generous' Time Limits

    A San Francisco federal judge who put strict time limits on a bellwether bench trial in multidistrict opioid litigation noted Monday that both sides wrapped up their cases within their allotted 45 hours, prompting him to wonder to courtroom chuckles if he "was just too generous."

  8. June 16, 2022

    Yale Law Prof Defends Allergan In SF Opioid Trial

    A Yale University law professor — the final live defense witness in a bellwether opioid bench trial in San Francisco — testified Thursday that Allergan entities were not responsible for the conduct of Alpharma, a company that had owned a branded opioid called Kadian that Allergan later acquired.

  9. June 15, 2022

    SF Opioid Crisis Not From Allergan's Market Share, Judge Told

    An economics expert for Allergan testified Wednesday in a bellwether opioid bench trial that the "extremely small" market share and promotion done for the company's two branded opioids could not have substantially contributed to San Francisco's opioid crisis.

  10. June 14, 2022

    SF Opioid Judge Not 'Sympathetic' To City's Scheduling Issue

    The California federal judge overseeing a bellwether bench trial in multidistrict opioid litigation said Tuesday that after defendants Anda, Allergan, Teva and Walgreens rest their case, San Francisco can't delay its rebuttal, saying he was "not terribly sympathetic" to the city's witness scheduling problems.