Jones Co. opts out of opioid-related litigation

     After the Jones County Supervisors received a letter from ISAC requesting the county join in litigation against pharmaceutical firms responsible for damages to the public in misrepresenting the safety of using opioids, the board is opting not to participate.

     During the Dec. 5 board meeting, Sheriff Greg Graver and County Attorney Phil Parsons spoke with the board, providing their take on the legal matter.

     Parsons said he contacted ISAC, as well as the research firm from Wisconsin behind the litigation.

     “They brought suit in Wisconsin and now they’re bringing it into Iowa’s jurisdiction,” he said. Parsons said counties in states all over the country are joining the cause to pursue damages, but he cautioned Jones County from joining the fight.

     He said litigation like this against large companies typically starts at the attorney general level.

     “This is an extra weak case in my opinion,” Parsons said.

     In the firm, Crueger Dickinson and Simmons Hanly Conroy, wishing to pursue a settlement, Parsons said it would involve some work on Jones County’s part to provide opioid-related data “to support their claim.

     “It is not an epidemic here in Jones County,” added Parsons of the drug. “Meth (methamphetamine) is our largest issue.”

     With all of the manpower it would take to join the fight, Parsons felt Jones County would only see a couple hundred dollars in the end, not equivalent to the time put in.

     “In Wisconsin, the vast majorities of counties are not involved,” he offered.

     Graver said he was surprised that ISAC jumped on board despite the state’s attorney general not joining the cause.

     “I’m confused why ISAC would back a private company in Wisconsin,” he said.

     Graver said the litigation appears to be modeling the “Big Tobacco” case in the mid-1990s.

     “They’re wanting to force change,” he said.

     Like Parsons, Graver also questioned why a private law firm in Wisconsin is pursuing the cause. “I was immediately suspicious of this,” he said. “They’re in it for the money. It’s completely absurd.”

     Even if the case was successful, Graver said, after doing the math, those counties who join in would see next to nothing.

     “It doesn’t come close to our time and effort,” he said.

     Echoing Parsons’ claim, Graver said opioids/heroine cases come up in Jones County maybe two to three times a year.

     “We see prescription pills and crystal meth on a weekly basis,” he said.