Crimes and Courts

$260 million deal averts 1st federal trial on opioid crisis

Published

7 years ago

October 21, 2019

CLEVELAND (AP) — The nation’s three biggest drug distributors and a major drugmaker agreed to an 11th-hour, $260 million settlement Monday over the deadly toll taken by opioids in two Ohio counties, averting what would have been the first federal trial over the crisis.

Across the U.S., the pharmaceutical industry still faces more than 2,600 other lawsuits over the deadly disaster, and participants in those cases said the latest deal buys them time to try to work out a nationwide settlement of all claims.

Full Coverage: Opioids

Monday’s deal was struck in the middle of the night, just hours before a jury that was selected last week was scheduled to hear opening arguments in a trial in federal court in Cleveland.

The trial involved only two counties — Cleveland’s Cuyahoga County and Akron’s Summit County — but was seen as an important test case that could have gauged the strength of the opposing sides’ arguments and prodded them toward a nationwide settlement.

The new agreement calls for the drug distributors AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson to pay a combined $215 million, said Hunter Shkolnik, a lawyer for Cuyahoga County.

Israeli-based drugmaker Teva would contribute $20 million in cash and $25 million worth of Suboxone, a drug used to treat opioid addiction.

“People can’t lose sight of the fact that the counties got a very good deal for themselves, but we also set an important national benchmark for the others,” Shkolnik said.

The deal contains no admission of wrongdoing by the defendants, said Joe Rice, a lead plaintiffs’ lawyer.

But it could turn up the pressure on all sides to work out a nationwide deal, because every partial settlement reached reduces the amount of money the companies have available to pay other plaintiffs.

Across the country, drug manufacturers, suppliers and sellers face a barrage of lawsuits brought by state and local governments, Native American tribes, hospitals and others over the opioid crisis, which is blamed for more than 400,000 deaths in the U.S. over two decades. For nearly two years, a federal judge in Ohio has been pushing the parties toward a settlement of all the lawsuits.

Separately, the small distributor Henry Schein also announced Monday that it is settling with Summit County for $1.25 million. The company was not named in Cuyahoga’s lawsuit.

The only defendant left in the trial that had been scheduled for Monday is the drugstore chain Walgreens. The new plan is for Walgreens and other pharmacies to go to trial within six months.

The settlement enables both sides to avoid the risks and uncertainties involved in a trial: The counties immediately lock in money they can use to deal with the crisis, and the drug companies avoid a possible finding of wrongdoing and a huge jury verdict.

“There’s no amount of money that’s going to change the devastation and destruction that they’ve done to families not only all across our county but all across the country,” said Travis Bornstein, who was preparing to testify in the Cleveland trial. But he said the settlement should help provide services for people who are struggling.

Bornstein said his son, Tyler, became hooked on opioids as a teenager after receiving a prescription after surgery on his arm and died from a heroin overdose five years later, in 2014.

Better funding for treatment programs might have helped his son, who was on a waiting list when he died, Bornstein said.

Ohio in 2017 had the second-highest death rate due from drug overdoses in the U.S., behind only West Virginia.

In a statement, the three major distributors said the settlement money should be used in a focused way on such things as treatment, rehab and mental health services.

The settlement also means that the evidence prepared for the trial won’t be fully aired.

Lawyers for the counties were preparing to show the jury a 1900 first edition of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” featuring the poisonous poppy fields that put Dorothy to sleep, and a 3,000-year-old Sumerian poppy jug to show that the world has long known the dangers of opioids.

U.S. District Judge Dan Polster, who is overseeing the mountain of lawsuits, has long pushed for a coast-to-coast settlement.

The plaintiffs have accused the industry of aggressively marketing opioids while downplaying the risks of addiction and turning a blind eye toward suspiciously large shipments of the drugs. The industry has denied wrongdoing.

Industry CEOs and attorneys general from four states met Friday in Cleveland, where the offer on the table was a deal worth potentially $48 billion in cash and drugs to settle cases nationally.

But they couldn’t close the deal, partly because of disagreements between state and local governments over how to allocate the settlement.

OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma, often cast as the biggest villain in the crisis, reached a tentative settlement last month that could be worth up to $12 billion. But half the states and hundreds of local governments oppose it. It remains to be seen whether the settlement will receive the approvals it needs.

Crimes and Courts

Family of Corey Ruiz to Speak Publicly for First Time Alongside Attorney Ben Crump Following Fatal Madison Police Shooting

Published

4 weeks ago

July 24, 2026

FNN NEWS

MADISON, Wis. (July 24, 2026) — Nationally renowned civil rights attorney Ben Crump will join the family of Corey Ruiz at a news conference Saturday in Madison, where family members are expected to speak publicly for the first time since Ruiz was fatally shot by a Madison police officer.

Ruiz’s family, joined by attorneys Ben Crump, Steve Hart, and B’Ivory Lamarr, along with State Rep. Shelia Stubbs (D–Madison), is expected to call for a full, independent investigation into the shooting and seek accountability for the circumstances surrounding Ruiz’s death.

According to the Madison Police Department, Ruiz was shot and killed Wednesday afternoon during an encounter with officers at a busy intersection on the city’s near-east side. Police have stated that Ruiz allegedly produced a fixed-blade knife and injured an officer during a struggle before an officer discharged his firearm.

However, video recorded by a bystander and reported by the Wisconsin Examiner appears to show an officer stomping Ruiz while he was on the ground as the first gunshot was fired. The video has drawn increased public attention and renewed questions regarding the officers’ use of force during the incident.

The incident has also highlighted the fact that Madison police officers do not wear body cameras, prompting additional calls from community members and civil rights advocates for greater transparency and independent review.

Scheduled Speakers

Corey Ruiz’s family
Attorney Ben Crump
Attorney Steve Hart
Attorney B’Ivory Lamarr
State Rep. Shelia Stubbs (D–Madison)

The news conference is expected to address the family’s response to the shooting, outline the legal team’s next steps, and reiterate calls for an independent investigation into the incident.

Central Florida News

Orlando Police Arrest Three Following Shooting at West Lakes Apartment Complex

Published

1 month ago

July 10, 2026

FNN NEWS

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN NEWS) — Orlando Police arrested three suspects Thursday following a shooting at the Pendana at West Lakes Club Apartments that led to a high-speed pursuit spanning Orange and Seminole counties.

Police said no injuries were reported despite multiple rounds being fired during the incident.

Shooting Reported at Apartment Complex

According to the Orlando Police Department (OPD), officers responded at approximately 3:50 p.m. Thursday, July 9, to the 2000 block of Orange Center Boulevard after receiving reports of gunfire at the Pendana at West Lakes Club Apartments.

During the investigation, detectives reviewed surveillance video showing occupants of a black sedan and a black SUV firing multiple rounds at two individuals riding scooters through the apartment complex.

Investigators said everyone involved fled the scene before officers arrived.

Police Locate Suspect Vehicles

Shortly after the shooting, Orlando officers located both suspect vehicles in the North Pine Hills area.

With assistance from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO), officers conducted a traffic stop on the black sedan and detained two suspects without incident.

Officers later located the black SUV and attempted a traffic stop, but the driver refused to stop, triggering a police pursuit.

Helicopter Assists During Pursuit

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office Aviation Unit tracked the fleeing SUV from the air while directing responding officers on the ground.

The pursuit ended in Altamonte Springs, where the driver stopped in front of a Burlington Coat Factory, abandoned the vehicle and attempted to flee on foot.

Orlando Police officers quickly apprehended the suspect.

Three Suspects Arrested

Police identified the suspects as:

Jacorey Lowery (DOB: July 8, 2006)

Charges:

Attempted Felony Murder (Firearm/Discharge)
Discharging a Firearm at Residential Property

Quincy Desponosse (DOB: April 21, 2008)

Charge:

Principal to Attempted First-Degree Murder

Semaj Blackshear

Charges:

Principal to Attempted Felony Murder with a Firearm
Fleeing and Eluding Law Enforcement at High Speed with Disregard for Public Safety or Property
Resisting an Officer Without Violence
Juvenile Violation of Probation

None of the Suspects Lived at the Complex

Investigators determined that none of the three individuals arrested were residents of the Pendana at West Lakes Club Apartments.

Police have not released information regarding a possible motive or whether the suspects knew the two individuals on the scooters.

Investigation Continues

The Orlando Police Department said the investigation remains active.

Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to contact the Orlando Police Department or Crimeline at 800-423-TIPS (8477).

Crimes and Courts

Attorney General Uthmeier Announces Charges Against Six in South Florida Drug Trafficking Enterprise

Published

2 months ago

June 13, 2026

FNN NEWS

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (FNN NEWS) — Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced charges against six individuals accused of participating in a multi-county drug trafficking enterprise operating in Broward County and surrounding areas of South Florida.

The defendants — Isaac Lakeith Bruton, Wayne Morgan Brutton Jr., Wayne Morgan Brutton Sr., Omar Dwayne Cooper, Rene Danger Jr., and Cleon Fabian Reid — are accused of participating in an organized criminal enterprise that allegedly distributed large quantities of illegal narcotics and laundered proceeds from drug sales.

Investigation Spanned Multiple Agencies

According to the Attorney General’s Office, the charges stem from a joint investigation led by the Broward Sheriff’s Office Organized Crime Unit and the Office of Statewide Prosecution, with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.

“This joint investigation dismantled a criminal enterprise that pumped dangerous drugs into Florida communities,” Uthmeier said in a statement. “Through the tireless work of the Office of Statewide Prosecution and our great law enforcement partners, we are taking on more criminal prosecutions than ever before.”

Alleged Drug Trafficking Operation

Investigators allege the organization obtained and distributed kilogram quantities of cocaine, multiple pounds of marijuana, prescription pills and other controlled substances throughout South Florida.

According to authorities, members of the enterprise converted powdered cocaine into crack cocaine near distribution locations and utilized vehicles equipped with hidden compartments to transport narcotics.

The investigation further alleges that Bruton and Cooper laundered proceeds from drug sales through the purchase of vehicles, real estate, business investments, classic car restorations and jewelry.

Charges Filed

Bruton and Cooper are each charged with:

Racketeering (First-Degree Felony)
Conspiracy to Commit Racketeering (First-Degree Felony)
Money Laundering (Third-Degree Felony)

Brutton Jr., Brutton Sr., Danger Jr., and Reid are each charged with:

Racketeering (First-Degree Felony)
Conspiracy to Commit Racketeering (First-Degree Felony)

Potential Penalties

If convicted, Bruton and Cooper face up to 75 years in prison. Brutton Jr., Brutton Sr., Danger Jr., and Reid each face up to 60 years in the Florida Department of Corrections.

The case will be prosecuted by Assistant Statewide Prosecutors Jillian Tate and Nicholas Kaleel.

Presumption of Innocence

All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.