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Wilkes-Barre Suing Drug Companies Over Opioid Crisis

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — The city of Wilkes-Barre says its had enough of drug companies dumping millions of dollars worth of opiates into our community and now...

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. -- The city of Wilkes-Barre says its had enough of drug companies dumping millions of dollars worth of opiates into our community and now it's taking a stand.

City officials filed a RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) lawsuit against five of the biggest drug manufacturers in the country and three of the largest whole drug distributors.

Mayor Tony George says the opioid crisis has overwhelmed the city's ability to care for the health, safety, and welfare of its residents. According to George, this epidemic didn't happen by accident.

The mayor says these drug makers didn't warn doctors about how addictive opiates can be for patients, and distributors didn't do their legal job to monitor and report any suspicious activity.

The city says it has hired expert law firms to deal with this suit as it moves forward.

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