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Authorization for County Attorney to Vote for Approval of Thirteenth Joint Bankruptcy Plan for Purdue Pharma, L.P., and to Electronically Sign Governmental Entity Settlement Agreement a/k/a GESA Sackler Release Regarding Opioid Litigation
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BRIEF OVERVIEW
I. The Litigation
On January 29, 2019, the Board of County Commissioners selected a litigation team consisting of numerous nationally renowned law firms including Podhurst Orseck, P.A.; Levin, Papantonio, Thomas, Mitchell, Rafferty & Proctor, PA; Baron & Budd, PC; Greene, Ketchum, Farrell, Bailey & Tweet, LLP; McHugh Fuller Law Group, PLLC; Hill, Peterson, Carper, Bee & Dietzler, PLLC; Powell & Majestro, PLLC., and the Law Office of Lucas Magazine (collectively, "Levin") as outside counsel to represent the County with regard to opioid litigation.
On June 6, 2019, the County Attorney's Office and Levin filed a federal lawsuit for damages on Hernando County's behalf against several participants in the opioid industry, including Purdue Pharma, L.P ("Purdue"). The County filed its suit in the Middle District of Florida, but it was subsequently transferred to become part of the multi-district litigation ("MDL") case pending in the Northern District of Ohio.
(An MDL is a federal legal procedure that is designed to consolidate complex cases that involve similar legal issues before one court for all discovery and pretrial proceedings. The goal of an MDL is to expedite proceedings, conserve resources, and foster consistent court rulings across different lawsuits. The Opioid MDL is the largest such proceeding in U.S. history, and it has been described as the most complex civil litigation in U.S. history. Although the case is currently in the Northern District of Ohio, if it does not settle it will be tried in the Middle District of Florida.)
II. Purdue Bankruptcy Plan
Purdue, the company which developed and marketed Oxycontin, and its affiliates, petitioned for bankruptcy on September 15, 2019, af...
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