A settlement in a lawsuit involving the drug OxyContin in a Kentucky court was announced last month. The drug maker Purdue Pharma agreed to pay $4 million to settle a lawsuit over abuse of the narcotic. Most of the terms of the agreement are confidential. Pike County initially filed the lawsuit in 2007, asking for damages the community suffered after the company marketed OxyContin as a “safer alternative” to other pain medicine. The drug became so pervasive in eastern Kentucky that it was dubbed “Heroin of the Hills.”
As a result of the settlement, Pike County Government will have the funds to make a difference in drug addiction. They are establishing the Pike County Re-Entry Partnership for people convicted of drug violations. Their goal is to rehabilitate people who are addicted to drugs. Gary C. Johnson, a lawyer from Pikeville, Ky., represented the county in this case. He worked very hard for a long time, didn’t give up and ultimately brought about the settlement.
Source: Claims Journal and The Appalachian News-Express
