City plans to join class action suit

The city of Vermilion intends to file as part of a class action lawsuit against Purdue Pharma for damages related to opioid abuse.

City officials discussed the issue during an Aug. 3 City Council meeting, with a proof of claim filed for the city before the July 30 deadline.

“I believe that the residents in the city of Vermilion have suffered a heartbreaking cost, both directly and indirectly, resulting from opioids manufactured and marketed improper ly by Purdue P harm a ,” Mayor Jim Forthofer said.

Attorney Susan Anderson said during the meeting that the lawsuit takes into account the cost of past and future damages, which is estimated to be $6 million.

Those damages include present individuals with opioid addictions, education, training and additional services that have been and will be needed in relation to the opioid epidemic, Anderson said.

“There’s lots of people with their money in that pot,” she said. “What I’m telling my clients is if the estimation is $6 million, that’s a big number.

“But, really at the end of the day, you’re probably only looking at maybe pennies on the dollar in payments that will be structured over a number of years.”

The lawsuit is styled as a bankruptcy case in relation to Purdue Pharma’s filing for bankruptcy back in 2019, Anderson said.

Over the next few months, the city will have a better idea of how much money it will receive from the suit, mainly dependent on how many claims are filed, she said.