Opioid Distributors Must Face $2.5 Billion Suit After Ruling

The three largest US opioid distributors must face a $2.5 billion lawsuit alleging they helped fuel a public health crisis in parts of West Virginia, after their victory at a trial was thrown out by a federal appeals court.

The 4th Circuit US Court of Appeals reversed a 2022 ruling that found McKesson Corp., Cardinal Health Inc. and AmerisourceBergen Corp., now called Cencora Inc., weren’t legally responsible for the addiction and overdose epidemic in the southwestern region of the state. The case turns on whether the companies created a so-called public nuisance in Cabell County, West Virginia, and its largest city, Huntington, where about 27% of the population lives below the poverty line.