Walmart accused of hiding criminal investigation by plaintiffs in federal opioid case

Walmart failed to reveal that it was under criminal investigation for the way its pharmacies handled opioid sales, plaintiffs in federal opioid litigation have alleged, according to ProPublica.

Linda Singer, a partner at Motley Rice, a law firm that represents multiple states, counties and municipalities in the federal opioid litigation involving Walmart and other large pharmacy chains, alleged that Walmart engaged in "pervasive obstruction" in a letter sent last month to Special Master David Cohen, the man in charge of gathering evidence in the federal opioid trial

Ms. Singer said Walmart hasn't produced all of its documents about its opioid prescriptions and that it hasn't given information requested by plaintiffs about Brad Nelson, Walmart's opioid compliance manager who became a criminal target in a federal investigation, according to ProPublica. 

The plaintiffs in the federal opioid trial, which is overseen by U.S. District Judge Dan Polster in Cleveland, are seeking to have the court sanction Walmart for its behavior.

"These allegations by the plaintiffs in the ongoing Opioid MDL litigation are without merit and are part of an ongoing discovery dispute. Walmart will respond to these claims under the process set forth by the Special Master," a Walmart spokesperson told ProPublica.

Becker's Hospital Review has reached out to Walmart for additional comment and will update this article accordingly. 

Read the full article here.

Copyright © 2024 Becker's Healthcare. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy. Cookie Policy. Linking and Reprinting Policy.

 

Featured Whitepapers

Featured Webinars