Maverick County Commissioners Court Approve Legal Counsel to File Lawsuit Against Pharmaceutical Companies in National Tort Litigation
By: Miguel Munoz, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2017
Maverick County Commissioners Court unanimously approved to hire legal counsel to file a lawsuit on behalf of Maverick County, Texas against various pharmaceutical companies regarding the Opioids national mass tort litigation at its regular meeting on Tuesday, October 10, 2017.
Commissioners Court approved Agenda Items Nos. 24 and 25 of the October 10th meeting regarding the hiring of the legal partnership of Luis Roberto Vera, Jr. & Associates, P.C. of San Antonio, Texas and Napoli Shkonick, P.C. of New York, New York to file a lawsuit on behalf of Maverick County against various pharmaceutical companies who manufacture and/or market opioids within Maverick County for the public health costs and damages associated with opioids, which includes prescription painkillers such as Xanax, Mycodin, Hydrocone, Heroin, and others.
Legal Counsel Luis Roberto Vera, Jr. advised Commissioners Court that the legal contract is a contingency fee basis, that is, that the two law firms will charge Maverick County only 25% of any gross recovery plus court costs and expenses in the event of a successful recovery. Vera added that “there is no cost to Maverick County.”
Vera stated that opioids mass tort litigation has become the largest tort litigation in the United States since asbestos litigation. Vera provided a report to Commissioners Court from the U.S. Department of Justice that shows arrests in Maverick County related to drugs during 2010 through 2014 have significantly increased, demonstrating the presence of opioids in the community and a community problem related to the use of opioids within the county.
Commissioners Court went into Executive Session to discuss Agenda items Nos. 24 and 25, but once in Open Session proceeded to approve the hiring of the two law firms as a partnership to represent Maverick County in the national mass tort opioids litigation as motioned by Commissioner Roberto Ruiz and seconded by Commissioner Pete Venegas, Jr..
