What's At Stake In Doctors' Opioid Liability Case In High Court
February 25, 2022 – ArticlesDinsmore litigation attorneys Lindsay Gerdes and Madeline Pinto co-authored an article for Law360 regarding the U.S. Supreme Court's upcoming oral arguments related to a doctor's liability when prescribing opioids. An excerpt is below.
On March 1, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Ruan v. U.S. on an issue that has appellate courts across the country deeply divided: When does a doctor's care turn criminal in the context of prescribing opioids? The court's decision will have broad implications not only for the many physicians who prescribe opioids, but also for the millions of patients who suffer from pain every day.
The circuit split on this issue has left good doctors wondering when their judgment may be called into question and has put their freedom on the line. On one side of this issue are zealous prosecutors second-guessing the decisions of doctors in the government's laudable effort to combat the opioid epidemic, and on the other are doctors trying to deliver care to patients in desperate need of pain treatment.
Read the full article here.