The first verdict involving pharmacy chains over the opiate addiction crisis was handed down Tuesday by a federal jury.
The store is located in Miami, Florida.
The images are from the same company.
The jury in Cleveland ruled in favor of Ohio's Lake and Trumbull counties, who sued Walmart, Walgreens and CVS over their handling of prescription opiate painkillers.
The pharmacy chains were accused of contributing to a public nuisance by allowing the powerful, addictive drugs to be diverted and abused.
In statements to Forbes, Walmart, Walgreens, and CVS said they weren't responsible for manufacturing or wrongful prescriptions.
Walmart and Walgreens both claimed that the case was rife with legal and factual mistakes.
A federal judge has to decide on damages.
What to watch for.
Walmart, Walgreens, and CVS Health all plan to appeal the ruling, according to Forbes.
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Chief critic.
The simple facts are that doctors write the prescriptions for the drugs and that the health care system depends on pharmacists to fill legitimate prescriptions that doctors deem necessary for their patients.
The key background.
Thousands of lawsuits have been filed against drugmakers, drug distributors and retail pharmacies for their roles in the nationwide epidemic of prescription painkillers. According to the New York Times and other media outlets, the case against the pharmacy chains is the first federal trial against them to reach a verdict.
There is a structure called the Tangent.
Some companies have settled lawsuits. The company declaring bankruptcy is one of the things that was included in the settlement. The Sackler family, who own the company and pledged billions of dollars to resolve lawsuits, were protected from future lawsuits because of the bankruptcy judge's approval of the settlement.
The jury found that the Opioid Crisis was perpetuated by Walmart, Walgreens and CVS.
