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Resolution authorizing the Mayor and the City Solicitor to enter into a professional services agreement or agreements or a retainer agreement or agreements with the law firm of Motley Rice LLC as special legal counsel to: 1) determine the economic impact that prescription opioids have had on the City of Pittsburgh and its residents and 2) based on such evidence, to investigate and, if appropriate, to commence and prosecute litigation against manufacturers, distributors, insurance companies and/or prescribers of prescription opiates for damages to the City of Pittsburgh arising out of marketing, manufacturing, distribution and/or prescribing of opiates.
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WHEREAS, Pittsburgh City Council acknowledges that Governor Tom Wolf has declared Pennsylvania's opioid epidemic as a "statewide disaster emergency;" and
WHEREAS, in 2015, there were more than 3,500 overdose deaths in Pennsylvania, and it has been further noted that at least 10 Pennsylvanians die each day from a drug overdose. (Source: https://www.pa.gov/guides/opioid-epidemic); and
WHEREAS, the City's first responders are among those on the front lines dealing with the opioid crisis locally; and
WHEREAS, determining the nature and scope of the City of Pittsburgh's (the "City's") potential claims to recover its damages against manufacturers, distributors, insurance companies and/or prescribers of prescription opiates requires assistance from subject matter experts; and
WHEREAS, due to the significant resources associated with prosecuting these claims in combination with the specialized areas of expertise required, it is in the City's best interest to hire special legal counsel to assess the economic impact, investigate, and, if appropriate, to pursue claims on behalf of the City on a contingency-fee basis; and
WHEREAS, the City issued a Request for Information ("RFI") for Special Legal Counsel for Opioid Litigation on January, 18, 2018, in order to solicit proposals from firms qualified to handle...
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