TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A major lawsuit over the opioid crisis includes cities and counties in north Florida and south Georgia.
More than 600 plaintiffs from across the country are suing the family that owns a major pharmaceutical company.
It's been called an epidemic and a public health emergency.
Fighting opioid addiction has been a challenge all over the nation, and now, hundreds of governments are holding one group responsible for creating the crisis.
In our area, both the City of Tallahassee and Leon County have joined the lawsuit.
Other nearby plaintiffs include the City of Panama City, Jackson County, Florida and Albany, Georgia.
The defendants are eight members of the Sackler family. They own Purdue Pharma, which makes the drug OxyContin.
Here's part of what the lawsuit says about them:
"Because they controlled their own privately held drug company, the Sackler Defendants had the power to decide how addictive narcotics were sold. They got more patients on opioids, at higher doses, for longer, than ever before. They paid themselves billions of dollars. They are responsible for addiction, overdose, and death that damaged millions of lives. They should be held accountable now."
The lawsuit claims more and more people die from drug overdoses every year and that the majority of those cases involves opioids.
Purdue Pharma has denied the allegations in the complaint.
We've reached out to the attorney representing the plaintiffs and are waiting to hear back.
You can read Purdue Pharma's full statement here.
