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Opioid crisis

Misconduct leads to removal of juror

CLEVELAND — A federal judge Monday declined to declare a mistrial in the opioid crisis responsibility trial filed against several pharmacies by Trumbull and Lake counties. But a juror was thrown off the jury for the ongoing trial after she conducted an investigation on her own in regards to the testimony of one of the trial’s witnesses and copied her research results to other members of the jury. Defense attorneys sought to have the opioid lawsuit dismissed on the grounds the actions of a woman referred to as “Juror No. 4,” who on Thursday conducted research showing people can ...

Area native creates app to lower overdose deaths

When it comes to reducing the adverse effects of substance-use disorders, an alert system developed in an initiative led by a Boardman High School graduate aims to save lives by reducing fatal overdoses. The SOAR Initiative is a student-run nonprofit created in 2019 by executive director ...

Defense seeks to limit TAG chief’s testimony in opioid trial

Defense attorneys at the federal civil trial against drugstore chains involving opioid prescriptions are trying to limit the testimony of two officials on the front lines of the opioid war in Trumbull and Lake counties. Jurors in the downtown Cleveland courtroom of U.S. District Judge Daniel A. Polster are hearing testimony in the third week of the proceeding. On Tuesday, attorneys for the plaintiff counties brought Capt. Tony Villanueva, commander for the Trumbull County Sheriff’s TAG drug task force, to the witness stand. Villanueva testified about his dealings with the opioid ...

Pair listed as witnesses in opioid trial

The lawyers representing Trumbull and Lake counties arguing a civil case about the roots of a deadly opiate epidemic could be turning to testimony from two Trumbull County individuals closely tied to fighting drug abuse in the Mahoning Valley. Appearing on a witness list in the jury trial continuing this week before U.S. District Judge Daniel A. Polster in Cleveland are April Caraway, executive director of Trumbull County Mental Health and Recovery Board, and Capt. Tony Villanueva, commander of the Trumbull County Sheriff’s Trumbull Action Group drug task force. Caraway and ...

Expert says pharmacies colluded in opioid growth

CLEVELAND — National pharmacies like Walmart, Walgreens and CVS and a regional pharmacy in Giant Eagle colluded with pharmaceutical companies in flooding opioid drugs throughout Trumbull and Lake counties and throughout the rest of the country, according to Dr. Anna Lembke, a psychiatrist ...

Settling cost of opioids

WARREN — Dennis J. McGee hopes Warren city leaders pause to consider what residents may want it to do with the nearly $500,000 it could receive in a possible opioid lawsuit settlement announced earlier this month. McGee, 72, tragically lost two sons four years ago. One son, Brian, to a ...