Cates Mahoney Joins Suit Against Pharmaceutical Companies At Center of Opioid Epidemic
Belleville, IL (PRWEB) May 04, 2017 -- Opioid abuse has ravaged communities throughout the United States, and St. Clair County, Illinois has not escaped the devastation. In response, Attorney David Cates of Cates Mahoney, LLC has joined two other firms to file a lawsuit on behalf of St. Clair County and the State of Illinois against opioid drug manufacturer Purdue Pharma and distributor Abbott Labs.
Cates is serving as a special assistant to the state’s attorney as they join together to hold accountable two of the country’s largest pharmaceutical companies, which the lawsuit alleges have made and distributed drugs without adequate instructions and warnings to medical professionals and patients about their addictive natures. The lawsuit, Illinois and St. Clair County vs. Purdue Pharma and Abbott Laboratories et al., St. Clair Circuit Court Case No. 17-L-0204, filed on Wednesday, April 19, alleges that the companies initiated a multi-million-dollar marketing campaign to reverse negative perceptions about the drugs.
The lawsuit alleges that these companies violated their legal duties by failing to provide “full and accurate instructions and warnings to guide prescribing doctors and other healthcare providers in making treatment decisions.” Instead, they allegedly spent millions on misleading marketing campaigns that falsely advertised the drugs. The lawsuit explains that alleged false claims made by Purdue and Abbott about the drugs led medical providers to rationalize prescribing opioids for chronic pain.
State Attorney Brendan Kelly enlisted the special assistance of attorneys David Cates, Eric Holland, and Chris Cueto to seek damages and other remedies from the pharmaceutical companies at the center of the opioid epidemic. Specifically, the lawsuit asks for Purdue and Abbott to pay “three times any money acquired as a result of defendants’ fraud.” That amount could add up quickly, as the sale of opioids alone generated $8 billion in revenue in 2010 alone. The lawsuit seeks to address the profits obtained by pharmaceutical companies due to their alleged wrongdoing.
For more information, contact David Cates at Cates Mahoney, LLC at (618) 767-6293 or visit the firm’s website: https://www.catesmahoney.com/
David Cates, Cates Mahoney, LLC, http://www.catesmahoney.com/, +1 (618) 277-3644, [email protected]
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