SALISBURY, Md.- The Wicomico County Council said Tuesday it would take a legislative vote on whether to enter into litigation against opioid manufacturers on July 16.
After pressure from the community to make a decision, the council reconsidered its previous opinions. The council originally shot down the idea over a year ago, but time is now ticking to sign up.
"We're all going to work together and when we meet at our next meeting I hope we're going to have a final solution," Sheriff Mike Lewis said.
Lewis, an advocate of hiring an attorney to fight the companies, was vocal about his disappointment with the council. Council President John Cannon saying the majority originally thought litigation was distasteful and like ambulance chasing.
Now with new members on the council since the 2018 election, the majority has flipped.
But the decision caused some challenges at Tuesday's meeting. The possibility of a federal class action lawsuit was also mentioned.
If a class action moves forward, Wicomico County would already become included in a settlement, but private litigation may give the county a bigger piece of the pie.
"I think we should definitely hire a law firm right now to represent Wicomico County's interests and try to recoup some of the losses that we have experienced as a society here in Wicomico County," Lewis said.
Because the litigation was discussed in a work session on Tuesday, a decision cannot be made until the council's next legislative session on July 16.
