Class action filed on behalf of babies born with opioid addiction

On February 26, 2018, a class action lawsuit was filed in Louisiana against several pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors on behalf of babies born in Louisiana with opioid addictions.

The suit seeks money to cover long-term treatment for the plaintiff and other infants who are born suffering opioid withdrawals.

Defendants named in the lawsuit include Johnson & Johnson, Purdue Pharma, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, and Teva Pharmaceuticals among other drug manufacturers and distributors.

The child identified in the suit was born addicted to opioids with a condition called Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, or NAS. The condition is typically diagnosed in babies that have had chronic fetal exposure to substances that were used or abused by their mother during pregnancy. NAS sets in once the baby is abruptly removed from exposure after birth.

The plaintiff’s mother was prescribed opioid pain killers to treat lower back pain after she was involved in a car accident before becoming pregnant. She became addicted and continued to use opioids, including while she was pregnant.  The plaintiff, now 3 years-old, has undergone behavioral, speech and hearing therapy to manage the long-term effects of opioid exposure while in the womb.

Steve Larson

An experienced trial lawyer who handles both hourly and contingent fee cases, Steve has expertise in class actions, environmental clean-up litigation, antitrust litigation, securities litigation, corporate disputes, intellectual property disputes, unfair competition claims, and disputes involving family wealth. Steve regularly represents individuals and businesses in federal and state court and has obtained class-wide recovery in multiple class actions. A veteran practitioner, Steve’s clients value his creative approach to resolving complex litigation matters.

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