Page 10 - The American Lawyer Trailblazers - South 2022

Tennessee

Mark Chalos

Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein

What was the genesis of the idea/path that has made you a trailblazer?
Opioids have ravaged families and communities across the country. Several years ago, a local city official reached
out to ask whether there was any legal recourse available through the civil justice system to help end the bad con-
duct in the pharmaceutical opioids industry and get relief for the community. Very few lawsuits had been filed at
that point and none had been successful at having the impact necessary to undo decades of wrongdoing by bad
actors in the opioids industry. We filed some of the first federal lawsuits and my law firm was appointed to help
lead the national opioids litigation. We recently finished an almost 3-month trial on behalf of one of our clients,
the City and County of San Francisco.
What sort of change has resulted from the concept?
By banding together to bring this historic litigation, cities, counties, Native American Tribes, and other govern-
ments have changed the way the opioids industry does business. And, importantly, the litigation has returned
billions of dollars to communities that have been struggling with challenges caused by the opioid catastrophe.
These funds are mainly earmarked for abatement programs, such as addiction treatment, education, and services
for families of those struggling with opioid use disorder.
What bearing will this have on the future?
The historic opioids litigation has shown that local and state governments, working together through the civil
justice system, can bring about positive change and hold wrongdoers accountable for the harm they have caused.
This is especially important in the face of years of relentless attacks on the civil justice system by powerful cor-
porate interests. The transformative impacts of the opioids litigation, particularly the life-saving resources it has
provided to communities, will be felt for generations.

2022 | South Trailblazers

Lieff Cabraser Congratulates Our Partner

For His Well-Deserved Recognition

Mark P. Chalos

NASHVILLE
SAN FRANCISCO
NEW YORK
MUNICH
lieffcabraser.com

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