Marshall County will join an Indianapolis firm in pursuing a multi-district, federal litigation against the opioid manufacturers and distributors of highly addictive prescription medications.
The Marshall County Commissioners discussed the issue in detail in an executive session in November. During their regular business meeting on Monday morning, Commissioner Mike Delp asked about fees to be collected by the firm Cohen and Malad. The firm handling the case would collect 33.3% in attorney fees and any expenses incurred in the event of a recovery. The expenses will be shared with all clients in the litigation process.
County Attorney Jim Clevenger previously explained that a number of different claims are involved with this litigation. He said that some opioids are highly addictive if taken for too long and addiction could become criminal and deadly as many turn to heroin to feed that addiction.
The commissioners unanimously approved a motion to move forward in this process and retain the services of Cohen and Malad to represent the county in this effort. Clevenger noted that many other local governments are pursuing this as well.
