\u201cEveryone in our county has been affected by the corporate greed you are going to see in this trial,\u201d Hunter Shkolnik, Nassau County\u2019s lawyer, said during opening statements\u00a0on Tuesday. The companies \u201cturned a blind eye\u201d to the suffering they caused, he said.<\/p>\n
Drug makers and distributors are accused of misleading doctors and consumers about the health risks of opioid painkillers, or ignored red flags of suspiciously large orders and signs of abuse. The trial of claims by New York state and two Long Island municipalities is the first of thousands of such damage lawsuits filed by governments across the U.S. to be heard by a jury.<\/p>\n