Organized Crime Claims Won’t Fly in San Francisco’s Opioid Trial

San Francisco lost a powerful tool in its quest to hold drug marketers and distributors liable for the nationwide opioid epidemic when a federal judge threw out racketeering allegations against Purdue Pharma, McKesson Corp., and dozens of other companies.

The lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California is a bellwether, or early test case, of more than 2,700 cases brought by local governments against the entire opioid supply chain. The court allowed all claims to proceed except for the city’s allegations under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, which provides for triple financial penalties ...