Framingham Is Suing Opioid Manufacturers And Distributors

FRAMINGHAM, MA—Framingham is pointing the finger at drug companies and distributors, with the city filing a suit against opioid manufacturers for the damages those drugs have allegedly inflicted on the city.

Mayor Yvonne M. Spicer said on Tuesday that Framingham is filing a lawsuit in Massachusetts State Court to "hold opioid drug manufacturers and distributors accountable for the damages the city has suffered, and will continue to suffer in dealing with the opioid epidemic."

According to Spicer's announcement, the conduct of the opioid manufacturers and distributors has imposed a direct, foreseeable and substantial financial burden on the city. Spicer said that Framingham's agencies and personnel are increasing the resources used on public health, social and human services, law enforcement and outreach initiatives designed to combat the opioid crisis.

In 2016, there were 213 opioid overdoses in Framingham, and 18 Framingham residents died, tripling the number from 2012.

"Abating the public nuisance will require continued outlay of city resources for the foreseeable future," wrote Spicer. "The City of Framingham will therefore seek an order requiring the Defendants to fund the abatement effort, rather than having the taxpayers continue to bear these costs."

Spicer said that the pharmaceutical manufacturers misrepresented that opioid prescription drugs were a safe treatment for chronic pain, and grossly discounted the real and known threat of addiction resulting from long-term use. The distributors, she argues, knowingly pumped opioids into the city in excess of the legitimate need.

“This is a personal issue for me, as it is for many of our residents," said Spicer in a statement. "Many of us know friends or family members who have struggled with this horrible disease that is opioid addiction. The city of Framingham, like other communities, bears a significant cost in the public resources devoted to combating this disease, as we discussed in April at a community conversation on this issue that we hosted at the MetroWest Medical Center. In addition to the various programs we discussed in that conversation, this lawsuit, and its promising potential to offset the financial burden this disease imposes our municipal budget, is yet another part of our strategic approach to ending this crisis in our city.”

The law firm of Scott+Scott Attorneys at Law LLP is representing the city in the litigation.

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