Nevada attorney general gets approval to hire firm to sue opioid makers

The Nevada attorney general’s office has received clearance to hire a law firm to sue opioid manufacturers.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports the Interim Finance Committee on Wednesday approved the request for the attorney general’s office enter hire outside counsel on a contingency fee. That means the firm would be paid only if litigation is won.

Former Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt in May sued Purdue Pharmaceuticals, manufacturer of the brand-name oxycodone prescription OxyContin, alleging that the company understated the risks associated with opioid use while exaggerating the benefits.

Ernest Figueroa, the Nevada consumer advocate and head of the Bureau of Consumer Protection in the attorney general’s office, told lawmakers that Gov. Steve Sisolak wrote in a declaration on Jan. 24 that “the office needs additional resources to combat the opioid crisis and initiated the process for contingency fee counsel.”