ECRWSS PRSRT STD US Postage
PAID
Permit #15 Williston,VT 05495 POSTAL CUSTOMER
OCTOBER 10, 2019
WILLISTON’S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1985
WILLISTONOBSERVER.COM
Town drawn into opiate lawsuit
8 million pills purchased in Williston during height of saturation By Jason Starr Observer staff
The Town of Williston has been pulled into a lawsuit against opiate drug companies seeking compensation for the public cost of addressing opiate addiction, and it has until Nov. 22 to opt out. Town administrators received notice of
the lawsuit in September and brought the opt-out question to the selectboard last week. The board tabled the question until next Tuesday’s meeting, seeking an opinion from town attorney Bob Fletcher in the interim. “I’m struggling with the idea that we have been automatically included in it,” board member Joy Limoge said. “That’s not sitting well with me.” “That’s the nature of class action,” board member Ted Kenney responded. “You get notice (that says) you can opt out, but if you don’t, your silence is consent.” One downside of staying in the lawsuit,
Kenney said, is that the town would lose its right to pursue its own litigation against opioid companies. The Town of Bennington recently became the first town in Vermont to independently sue opioid companies. A Texas law firm that represents Bennington — the Cicala Law Firm — had a booth at the Vermont League of Cities and Towns (VLCT) annual conference last week in Killington, and managing partner Joanne Cicala spoke to town and city administrators in an attempt to recruit municipalities to join Bennington. Last Tuesday, Williston’s selectboard seemed averse to that idea.
The class action lawsuit names 13 defendants, including manufacturers like Purdue Pharma and retail outlets like Rite-Aid, Walgreens and Wal-Mart. It was set up by a federal judge in Ohio “to unify cities and counties into a single negotiating entity to maximize their bargaining power and to provide finality to opioids litigation for any settling defendant,” according to the notice Williston received. This is the first time the federal law allowing class action suits has been used to create a class of municipalities, according to the see OPIATE page 2
A choice of chowders
Observer photos by Al Frey
Sponsors, contestants, volunteers and residents gathered Sunday for the 9th Annual Williston Chowder Challenge on the village green. The event supports the Williston Community Food Shelf and the Williston Police Association. One hundred seventy five pounds of food were collected for the food shelf. ABOVE: Chelsea Shepard, left, Truly Shepard, center, and Robbie Bromley pose between spoonfuls. RIGHT: Residents convene for taste testing. For results of the Chowder Challenge, see page 3.
Get your tickets now! A great gift idea! Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020
TWO SESSIONS: 12 - 4 p.m. & 6 - 10 p.m. Beer, Cider, Wine, Spirits • Music • Games Food Truck Fare - ALL INDOORS! Champlain Valley Exposition EXPO North Building, Essex Jct., VT www.winterbrewfestvt.com
DOUBLETREE BY HILTON, SOUTH BURLINGTON