Broward County filed a new lawsuit in federal court Monday against manufacturers of opioid drugs.
Walmart, Walgreens, the McKesson Corp. and CVS Health are just some of the drug makers and distributors Broward County is suing.
Others include Johnson & Johnson, Cardinal Health Inc., Health Mart Systems, Mallinckrodt, Amerisourcebergen Corp., as well as Endo Janssen, Purdue, Cephalon and Teva Pharmaceuticals. The county accused the companies in the complaint of violating rhe Racketeer Influenced and and Corrupt Organizations Act, as well as the Florida Deceptive And Unfair Trade Practices Act, and others.
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Citing the opioid crisis as the reasoning for the suit, the county is also alleging other federal laws were violated by making and distributing opioid drugs like Fentanyl and OxyContin.
In Broward County alone, there were more than 580 deaths due to opioid overdoses in 2017, which breaks down to more than 11 a week.
Broward County announced in the lawsuit that officials are seeking a jury trial.
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