Court sets start date of July 26, 2021, following default judgment against Endo

KINGSPORT, Tenn. – After a four-year legal battle, a trial date has now been set to determine damages in Staubus vs. Purdue, widely recognized as the Sullivan Baby Doe case. Baby Doe is represented by the firm of Branstetter, Stranch & Jennings (BS&J) of Nashville, Tennessee.

The case will go to trial on Monday, July 26, in the Sullivan County Circuit Court of Kingsport, Tennessee, in the court of Chancellor E.G. Moody. Plaintiffs include governmental entities and an infant born drug-dependent, listed as Baby Doe, by and through a Guardian Ad Litem. Corporate defendants include Endo Health Solutions, Inc. and Endo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 

Plaintiffs in the case are seeking more than $2.4 billion in damages, an amount supported by expert testimony.

The decision comes following an April 6 ruling by the court that granted default judgment on liability in favor of plaintiffs, but reserved determination of damages for trial. The court cited as part of its basis for the judgment a dozen false statements made by Endo’s attorneys, as well as a “coordinated strategy between Endo and its counsel to…interfere with the administration of justice.” The ruling can be read here.

“The Court has found that Endo knowingly participated in the illegal drug market in violation of Tennessee’s Drug Dealer Liability Act,” said Gerard Stranch, managing partner of BS&J. “We look forward to presenting to a jury the amount of damage that this illegal conduct has caused to the governmental plaintiffs and to Baby Doe, and we will be asking for more than $2.4 billion in damages.” 

More information about Sullivan Baby Doe is available here.