REP FC 015 2019/02/19 2018-2020 - Laserfiche WebLink

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FC-15 Page 3 February 19,2019 to the municipalities, it would be up to the County to decide what to do with the funds. He supports the motion to defer this measure. Ms. Eoff feels more information is needed and supports a postponement until more information is received in order to make an informed decision. Ms. Villegas agrees to defer this matter and requested Corporation Counsel include information about the trends, increased cost for medications, and how that would or would not relate to this litigation. Ms. Poindexter commented and agreed that suing the manufacturer is not addressing the root cause. All the money will not fix the process or lack thereof Information needs to be gathered to find out what the root cause of this addiction really is before getting on board. Committee Chair Maile David reiterated that Corporation Counsel's statement about the goal of the lawsuit is that the power of accepting settlement and distribution would be up to the County as opposed to giving the State control. This goes along with all the Council Members' comments that it is not about the money and if this is the mindset of pursuing the lawsuit, will the law firm be paying for all the costs? Mr. Howortiz stated that is correct. Committee Chair David entertained Ms. Kierkiewicz's motion to postpone. Ms. Kierkiewicz requested postponement to the February 4, 2019, Hilo meeting, seconded by Ms. Poindexter. Finance Committee of February 4, 2019 Corporation Counsel Joseph Kamelamela requested a postponement since Mr. Horowitz is not being able to attend due to a medical appointment. Committee Chair David requested a motion to postpone to February 19, 2019, meeting in Kona. Moved by Mr. Richards and seconded by Ms. Eoff. Finance Committee of February 19, 2019 Mr. Horowitz gave a recap of the litigation. If this resolution were to pass, Napoli Shkolnik and the Hawai`i Accident Law Center would file a lawsuit on behalf of the County. The lawsuit would be against various levels of the distribution chain of opioids such as producers,marketers, distributors, and physicians which would seek to hold them liable for various negligent acts and misconduct. The County would not have to incur any costs up front. Should the case be resolved through victory, the County would receive a cut of the settlement and should it not be in the County's favor then Napoli Shkolnik and the Hawai`i Accident Law Center would take the loss. Council Member Matt Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder asked what the funds will be used for, should the County have a financial gain. Mr. Horowitz responded that it would be up to the Council as to how the funds will be disbursed. FC Report No.: 15