Title
Approval of a Resolution Approving the Terms and Conditions of an Attorney Engagement and Contingency Fee Agreement to Pursue the City's Claims for Opioid Misuse, Abuse and Over-Prescription
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Not referred to a committee.
City Manager Recommendation:
Move to approve the Resolution Approving the Terms and Conditions of an Attorney Engagement and Contingency Fee Agreement and proceed with opioid litigation.
Report
Issue:
Whether to enter into an Attorney Engagement and Contingency Fee Agreement and pursue the City's claims for opioid misuse, abuse and over-prescription.
Staff Contact:
Mark Barber, City Attorney, 360.753.8338
Presenter(s):
None - Consent Calendar Item.
Background and Analysis:
The United States and the City of Olympia are currently experiencing an epidemic and public health crisis unlike any seen before due to the misuse, abuse and over-prescription of opioids. As a result of the flood of opioids into this country, cities like Olympia have had to deal with the crippling effects of widespread opioid addiction. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ("CDC") recently estimated that the total economic burden of prescription opioid abuse costs the United States $78.5 billion per year, which includes significantly increased costs for health care and addiction treatment, dramatic increases in strains on human services and the criminal justice systems, as well as substantial losses in work force productivity.
Drug manufacturers of opioids represented to physicians and the public that opioids were safe and effectively treated pain, with a low risk of addiction. However, for many of those prescribed opioids, the consequences have been severe. More than 1,000 people are admitted every day to emergency rooms across the country because of opioid-related abuse. Naloxone, a costly medication used to block and reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, is now routinely carried by law enforce...
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