Partner Andy Levy assisted Sussman Godfrey win a major win for the City of Baltimore in a public nuisance lawsuit against drug distributors McKesson Corporation and Cencora Inc. (formerly AmerisourceBergen Drug Corporation) for their role in Baltimore’s deadly opioid crisis. After a six-week-long trial a jury awarded Baltimore more than $266 million in damages, finding that the companies were responsible for fueling the devastating opioid epidemic. The jury found McKesson to be responsible for 70% of the nuisance, Cencora for 27%, and “other actors” for 3%.
Plaintiffs alleged that the defendants Andy, along with his peers, argued that McKesson and Cencora flooded the Baltimore market with prescription opioids despite being aware of suspicious orders totaling millions of doses. The lawsuit was filed in 2018 alleging that the flood of opioid prescriptions, poorly regulated distribution, and loose oversight by the companies resulted in a disproportionate number of Baltimoreans becoming addicted to the drugs and caused to 80% of the opioid use disorder in the city.
This more than $266 million award brings the city’s restitution in settlements and damages in its opioid litigation to over $668 million.
ABOUT ANDREW LEVY
Andy Levy is widely regarded as one of Maryland’s premier trial and appellate attorneys, equally comfortable in civil and criminal courtrooms, before a jury, judge, or arbitrator. He is a Fellow of both the American College of Trial Lawyers and the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, one of the few attorneys in the country to have been inducted as a Fellow of both organizations. He is listed in Best Lawyers in America in nine categories and is among a distinguished group of attorneys to have been named in Best Lawyers for twenty years. He has also been consistently recognized by Chambers USA and has been recognized by Maryland Super Lawyers each year since 1999. Andy is the 2020 recipient of the Maryland State Bar Association Criminal Law & Practice Section Robert C. Heeney Award for lifetime achievement in the field of criminal law and practice, and the Lorraine Sheehan Lifetime Achievement Award from Disability Rights Maryland. Learn more about Andy and his practice here.
ABOUT BROWN, GOLDSTEIN & LEVY, LLP
Founded in 1982, Brown, Goldstein & Levy is a law firm based in Baltimore, Maryland, with an office in Washington, DC. The firm is nationally recognized in a wide variety of practice areas, including complex civil and commercial litigation, civil rights, health care, family law, and criminal defense. Above all else, Brown, Goldstein & Levy is a client-centered law firm that brings decades of experience and passionate, effective advocacy to your fight for justice.
PLEASE FIND MEDIA COVERAGE BELOW
Pharmaceutical giants to pay Baltimore $266M in opioid epidemic lawsuit | USA Today (November 15, 2024)
Baltimore Wins $266M In McKesson, Cencora Opioid Case | Law360 (November 13, 2024)
Baltimore wins $266 million in opioid case against distributors | Reuters (November 13, 2024)
Jury in Baltimore opioid lawsuit: McKesson, Amerisource-Bergen must pay more than $266M in damages | WBAL-TV (November 13, 2024)
Drug companies found liable in Baltimore’s opioid crisis, must pay $266M in damages | The Baltimore Banner (November 12, 2024)
Baltimore wins trial over opioid distributors for $266 million | WYPR (November 12, 2024)