By Sara Randazzo
A lawyer for several large California communities accused four drugmakers of causing a deadly wave of opioid addiction with their aggressive marketing of pain pills, while defense attorneys said the firms followed the law, on the opening day of a trial closely watched by the pharmaceutical industry.
"Without an avalanche of prescription opioids, there wouldn't be an opioid epidemic," said Fidelma Fitzpatrick, a plaintiffs' lawyer hired to represent the counties of Los Angeles, Orange and Santa Clara and the city of Oakland.
The monthslong trial, being held fully by videoconference and decided solely by a judge, began Monday with opening remarks from Ms. Fitzpatrick and attorneys for the drugmakers being accused of misconduct -- Johnson & Johnson, Teva Pharmaceutical Ltd., Endo International PLC and AbbVie Inc.'s Allergan.