The Lanier Law Firm is among the 22 firms making up the Plaintiff Executive Committee of the National Prescription Opiate Litigation that were honored by the American Association for Justice with the 2024 Steven J. Sharp Public Service Award at the association’s annual convention. The AAJ award recognizes the success of the coalition of legal teams in representing public entities seeking to combat one of the nation’s most significant public health issues.
As part of one of the most complex, wide-ranging litigations in history, during the past several years the firms have gained landmark verdicts, judgments and settlements with pharmaceutical distributors, national pharmacy and grocery chains, and opioid manufacturers. The compensation from those awards are helping communities across the nation address the opioid crisis through prevention, education, harm reduction, and treatment programs.
Among the achievements was the work of Mark Lanier, who served as lead trial counsel in gaining a $650.6 million judgment against CVS, Walgreens and Walmart for the retailers’ roles in perpetuating the crisis, and the firm’s Dara Hegar, who together with the Texas Attorney General and other trial lawyers negotiated a $1.85 billion opioid settlement from opioid manufacturers and distributors.
The AAJ Steven J. Sharp Public Service award annually recognizes litigation by plaintiffs and plaintiff attorneys that has created a lasting change in corporate conduct.
