Insurance Coverage for Defendants Named in Nationwide Opioid Litigation

In a barrage of nationwide litigation, hundreds of lawsuits have been filed by states, counties and cities against pharmaceutical manufacturers and wholesale distributors seeking to recover costs allegedly incurred in responding to the opioid epidemic, estimated to impose $55 billion in health and related societal costs and $20 billion in emergency and inpatient costs in the United States each year. If history is any guide, as the number of lawsuits continues to grow, the field of actual and potential defendants likely will grow as well. As defendants mount a vigorous defense to these lawsuits, they must be conscious of how expensive a defense can be, regardless of whether the claims have merit.