Opioid Distributor Turns To Insurance Company For Protection Against Government Lawsuits

Faced with thousands of lawsuits from local governments responding to the opioid epidemic, the makers, distributors, and suppliers of prescription painkillers have turned to their business insurance providers for help.

A case before the Ohio Supreme Court could help determine whether insurance companies will be responsible for paying parts of the billions of dollars in damages sought.

The Ohio Insurance Institute notes the disputes between business insurance provider Acuity and Hamilton County-based prescription drug distributor Masters Pharmaceutical are ‘not taking place in a vacuum, but instead are taking place against the backdrop of one of the largest, most complicated litigation phenomena this nation has ever seen.’

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments next week in Acuity’s appeal of a First District Court of Appeals decision.