The Opioid Epidemic

The United States is currently struggling with one of its worst-ever drug crises. Every week, over nine hundred people die from opioid-related overdoses. Moreover, millions of Americans suffer from opioid addictions. Besides the risks it poses to public health, the crisis constitutes a threat to national security and a drag on the economy. Substantial evidence suggests that opioid marketing largely contributed to the crisis.

On September 26, the Center on Civil Justice and the Classical Liberal Institute at NYU Law, and the NYU Journal of Law & Business co-hosted a conference on "the Opioid Epidemic," . This conference, featuring two panels and a keynote speech, focused on litigation surrounding the opioid epidemic as well as regulation and reform issues related to the crisis. Panelists discussed the lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies, different defense strategies and the most effective way to structure settlement agreements, the strengths and weaknesses of current regulation, and different reform options in order to effectively address this major health and social crisis. The keynote speech was delivered by the Honorable Diane Wood (Chief United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit).

This conference was video-recorded and videos can be viewed below.

Keynote Address: Aggregate Litigation:

Panel 1: Opioid Litigation:

Panel 2: Opioid Regulation: https://youtu.be/7UEkaUHCgrc