TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody today issued the following statement on Pasco County Judge Kimberly Sharpe Byrd’s ruling in favor of the Attorney General’s motion to access Florida’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Database in the state’s ongoing efforts to hold the nation’s largest opioid distributors, manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies accountable for their roles in the opioid crisis:
“Today’s ruling is another step forward in our fight to hold accountable those who are responsible for the opioid crisis ravaging our state. This victory would not have been possible without the legislature’s hard work last session, and I want to thank Speaker Jose Oliva and President Bill Galvano for the work and effort that they, their chambers and their staffs put into passing the PDMP bill last session. I want to also thank our bill sponsors, Senator Tom Lee and Representative Amber Mariano, and special thanks to Speaker-Designate Chris Sprowls who helped usher this legislation through the Florida House.
“In the face of continued legal maneuvering by the defendants, I am grateful to our team of attorneys who took over this fight after session. It is because of their strategic legal work following the passage of the legislation that the state will now have access to the relevant information needed to help bolster our case and hold these major corporations responsible for fueling this deadly crisis.”
