Kitsap County News

(Port Orchard, WA) - Kitsap County has joined the nationwide effort to hold opioid manufacturers and wholesalers responsible for the harm caused by opioid overuse and addiction within the community. Kitsap County filed suit today in federal court with this goal in mind. The lawsuit's allegations highlight the deliberate and systematic practices of manufacturers and distributors of prescription opioids who put their financial interests above the interests of their patients, at the expense of communities such as Kitsap County.

Specifically, the lawsuit alleges the defendants made false claims and provided misleading information to doctors and patients about the safety of opioid use and aggressively pushed the sale of opioids despite knowing, among other things, that the drugs were not safe for long-term use, that they were falling into the hands of "pill mills," and that they were being diverted for illicit and illegal uses.

In addition, the lawsuit alleges these defendants knew or should have known they were distributing an unreasonable and unconscionable amount of prescription opioids into the country. These practices, as alleged by the lawsuit, have contributed to a marked increase in opioid overuse and addiction in the community. The result has been a ripple effect of opioid-related hospitalizations and deaths, affecting countless individuals and their families.

"There isn't a community that hasn't been touched by the opioid crisis – friends, family members, neighbors," said Kitsap County Commissioner Robert Gelder. "It's time to join in the fight to turn the tide in the conversation, debate and response."

Between 2002 to 2004 and 2011 to 2013, the number of opioid-use treatment admissions rose 305 percent in Kitsap County. From 1993 to 2003, there were 62 opioid-related deaths in the county – from 2012 to 2016, there were 107 deaths. Beyond the costs of human life, the costs nationwide are estimated at $78.5 billion annually.

For years, Kitsap County and the Kitsap Public Health District have been working to alleviate these harms by providing public-funded treatment, drug court programs, and needle-exchange programs. Unfortunately, this has come with a public financial toll.

Kitsap County and the Kitsap Public Health District continue to allocate substantial resources and have seen a rise in costs related to opioid-related programs and services as the epidemic continues to grow. The lawsuit seeks to hold prescription opioid manufacturers and wholesale distributers financially responsible for these costs. The opioid crisis has impacted not only the delivery of treatment services, but has also contributed to homelessness, family support cases involving child support affected by opioid addiction, and placed significant burdens on the criminal and civil justice systems.

"As opioids continue to flood our communities, the impacts to law enforcement have increased dramatically," said Kitsap County Sheriff Gary Simpson. "Deputies have had life-threatening exposure to these substances, which has greatly influenced how we respond. Deputies are now required to carry Narcan kits to be administered to themselves or others when necessary. We have limited resources to continually address the increase of assaults, thefts and major crimes associated with addictive behaviors. The influx of opioids must be curtailed, and options for people suffering from addictions increased."   

The Kitsap County Prosecuting Attorney's Office has partnered with Seattle-based law firm, Keller Rohrback, to represent Kitsap County in this lawsuit. Keller Rohrback is a nationally recognized law firm that routinely litigates against some of the largest corporate defendants in the country. The firm, hired on a contingency-fee basis, has filed similar lawsuits on behalf of King, Clark, Skagit, Pierce, Clallam, and Thurston counties, the Tulalip Tribes, and the cities of Tacoma, Kent, Mount Vernon, Burlington, and Sedro-Wooley.