The city of Tucson and Pima County have joined with other municipalities taking drug manufacturers and distributors to court, suing them for their role in the national opioid crisis.
The two entities announced that they filed a lawsuit against more than 20 companies that either manufacture or distribute prescription opioid medications across the nation and within the city of Tucson and Pima County.
The lawsuit alleges the companies spent years misleading doctors and consumers about the addictive nature of the narcotic painkillers to boost sales and failed to monitor the distribution of these drugs adequately.
The lawsuits seek to recover costs spent locally to fight opioid addiction and abuse, including health-care costs.
Tucson and Pima County have hired several law firms as part of the lawsuit, including former Arizona Attorney General Grant Woods, former Mississippi Attorney General Mike Moore and Tucson-based law firm Rusing, Lopez and Lizardi.
