Welcome to the official website for the Plaintiff People of the State of California, acting by and through the Santa Clara County Counsel, Orange County District Attorney, Los Angeles County Counsel, and Oakland City Attorney, in People of the State of California v. Purdue Pharma, et al. This bench trial is being held entirely remotely and began on April 19, 2021, at the Orange County Superior Court before Judge Peter J. Wilson.
- Case No. 30-2014-00725287-CU-BT-CXC.
- Orange County Superior Court Docket Search: 30-2014-00725287-CU-BT-CXC
Trial proceedings are on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays each week, 9 a.m. to noon and 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. PT (with a 15-minute break midmorning and midafternoon).
For technical questions to access the live feed, please contact the court media relations office:
■ Phone number: (657) 622-7097
■ Website: www.occourts.org/media-relations
Background
In May 2014, the Santa Clara County Counsel’s Office, along with the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, filed the nation’s first government-initiated lawsuit to hold opioid manufacturers accountable for their role in creating the opioid epidemic. The Oakland City Attorney and Los Angeles County Counsel joined the lawsuit in 2018.
Brought on behalf of the People of the State of California, the lawsuit alleges that the opioid manufacturers engaged in a sophisticated and deceptive marketing campaign to promote opioids for use in treating chronic non-cancer pain, overstating the benefits while knowingly downplaying the risks, leading to an explosion of opioid prescriptions and widespread opioid addiction and abuse. The lawsuit seeks injunctive relief to prevent such practices in the future, civil penalties, and abatement of the public nuisance.
Santa Clara County has experienced a 30% increase in opioid-related overdose deaths from 2017 to 2019 alone.
Oakland’s Fire Department and other paramedics administered Narcan more than 500 times per year from 2015-2017 to help prevent opioid overdoses from resulting in fatalities.
About the Communities
Santa Clara County’s Office of the County Counsel
Santa Clara County’s Office of the County Counsel serves as legal counsel to the County, its Board of Supervisors and elected officials, every County department and agency, and the County’s boards and commissions. With a staff of over 200, the Office is also responsible for all civil litigation involving the County and its officers. Through its Social Justice and Impact Litigation Section, the Office litigates high-impact cases, drafts innovative local ordinances, and develops policies and programs to advance social and economic justice. The Section also defends the County in select cases with the potential to significantly affect the County’s ability to provide critical safety net services to vulnerable residents. The Section is part of a growing movement to use the power and unique perspective of local government to better serve the community and to drive long-lasting change at the local, state, and national levels.
The Office of the County Counsel for the County of Los Angeles
The Office of the County Counsel for the County of Los Angeles provides legal advice to the Board of Supervisors, county departments, and other county entities in the nation’s largest and most diverse county. The office is one of the largest municipal civil law offices in the country, with over 300 attorneys and more than 600 employees. The Offices’ Affirmative Litigation and Consumer Protection Division enforces consumer protection laws to protect residents of the County. Staffed with experienced prosecutors and other subject matter experts, the division brings actions to enforce environmental, wage and consumer protection laws, addressing impacts across broad sectors of the population.
The Oakland City Attorney’s Office
The Oakland City Attorney’s Office’s mission is to provide the highest quality of legal services; promote open government and accountability to the residents of Oakland; and apply the law in an innovative, community-oriented, just, and equitable manner to advance Oaklanders’ rights and improve the quality of life in Oakland neighborhoods. The Office accomplishes this mission by constantly pursuing excellence, professionalism, and a workforce that values and reflects Oakland’s diversity. The Affirmative Litigation, Innovation, and Enforcement Division focuses on proactive lawsuits and other actions to protect and advance the rights and interests of the people of Oakland with a goal of securing and maintaining racial, economic, environmental and social justice; protecting constitutional and civil rights; and enforcing laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, class, sexual orientation, gender, and other protected classes.
Office of the Orange County District Attorney
The mission of the Office of the Orange County District Attorney is to enhance public safety and welfare and to protect and respect crime victims and to create security in the community through the vigorous enforcement of criminal and civil laws in a just, honest, efficient and ethical manner. The Orange County District Attorney’s Office is the sixth largest prosecutor’s office in the United States, filing more than 70,000 criminal cases a year. Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer oversees more than 900 employees, including nearly 300 attorneys and 200 sworn District Attorney Investigators, who are all dedicated to helping keep Orange County safe.