CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. (AP) - Another Virginia county is suing opioid industry giants it says have contributed to the devastating opioid epidemic.
The Roanoke Times obtained a copy of Montgomery County's lawsuit against three dozen named defendants and 100 anonymous defendants that's being filed in circuit court.
The county is seeking $100 million, in addition to $350,000 from each of the defendants and a possible tripling of damages.
The lawsuit highlighted the effects of the opioid epidemic on the county, citing a neo-natal abstinence syndrome rate that's higher than the statewide rate and an overdose death rate of 14 to 15.9 deaths per 100,000 people in 2016.
Montgomery County attorney Andrew Miller says the county's case will likely have pretrial motions heard by a panel of judges appointed to handle opioid suits filed by local governments in Virginia.
