March 10, 2023
In a first-of-its-kind lawsuit brought by relatives of opioid addicts against medical supply distributors, a HunterMaclean defense team obtained a full defense verdict for McKesson Corporation after a five-week trial in the Superior Court of Glynn County, Georgia.
In the case of Poppell, et al, vs McKesson, et al, twenty-one plaintiffs sued three wholesale medicine and medical supply distributors, including McKesson Corporation, Cardinal Health, and J.M. Smith. Under Georgia’s Drug Dealer Liability Act, the plaintiffs claimed that the three companies acted as illegal drug dealers in filling orders for opioid medications placed by pharmacies and hospitals in Coastal Georgia. The plaintiffs, mostly children of the addicts, claimed extensive mental and psychological damage resulting from their parents’ addictions.
The HunterMaclean trial team was led by Randall Jordan and Chris Jordan and included Taylor Dove and Justin Guthrie.
After nearly two days of deliberation, the Glynn County jury found that the defendants did not violate either the Georgia Drug Dealer Liability Act, the Georgia RICO statute, or Georgia conspiracy laws and were not liable to the plaintiffs.
