Baltimore jury to decide if drug companies are responsible for city's opioid crisis

BALTIMORE -- Jurors in Baltimore will decide if two drug companies should pay the city over $260 million in damages for allegedly contributing to its opioid crisis.

The jury of six, first selected in September, started deliberating at 9 a.m. Friday and were dismissed around 4 p.m. 

If jurors decide the companies are liable, they'll figure out how much damages will be and how much each company will pay. They will resume deliberating on Tuesday at 9:30 a.m.

Their pending decision follows a six-week trial, where city lawyers argued drug distributors McKesson and AmerisourceBergen were more focused on profit than public health. According to the city, the companies shipped millions of opioid pills into Baltimore, disregarding their addictive effects. 

This oversupply, they argue, led residents to turn to more potent drugs like fentanyl and heroin, worsening the crisis.

The companies claim they acted legally, selling approved painkillers to licensed pharmacies, and deny responsibility for any illegal drug trade.

The most important case in Baltimore's history

The city's lawyers have called this the biggest and most important case in Baltimore's history, according to reporting by WJZ's media partner, The Baltimore Banner.   

City lawyers argued in court these companies ignored red flags of suspiciously large or unusual orders, which is required of them per federal regulation. They claim the companies shipped millions of opioids into the area with little concern or regard for the impact it could have.

Lawyers for the companies argued they had no control over what happened after they would sell and send opioids. Also pinning the blame on the illegal drug trade within the city, saying addressing crime is critical to addressing the city's opioid crises.

The companies' lawyers also claim the city lacked the evidence to prove anything.

The city has already secured $400 million in settlements from other opioid companies, including Walgreens, Johnson & Johnson, Teva Pharmaceuticals, and CVS in similar lawsuits.

Jurors will now determine if the two companies, McKesson and AmerisourceBergen, were a "public nuisance" to Baltimore.

The city is seeking damages to cover current and future expenses related to the opioid crisis, including funds already spent on law enforcement and public health initiatives.