OKLAHOMA CITY - Attorney General Mike Hunter’s Office has responded to an official open records request regarding how the attorneys were selected in the state’s lawsuit against the nation’s leading opioid manufacturers.
Gentner Drummond, requested specific documents regarding requests for proposals, which law firms were solicited, how the law firms were chosen and the contracts with the firm.
In the response letter, General Counsel to the Attorney General Abby Dillsaver explained, under Oklahoma law, contracts for professional services, including attorneys, are exempt from competitive bidding. The contract and associated documents were provided in response to the request.
To read the response letter, click here.
To read the contract with Whitten Burrage, click here.
To read the state’s opioid lawsuit, click here.
Attorney General Hunter has said the selection of the Whitten Burrage Law Firm was based on the firm’s track record of success and the two lead attorneys have been personally victimized by the opioid epidemic.
“Judge Michael Burrage and his law partner Reggie Whitten are great Oklahomans, members of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame and have tragically lost loved ones to the opioid epidemic,” Attorney General Hunter said. “These are men who aren’t only great individuals and great attorneys, but they are pouring their hearts and souls into this case because they want the deaths of their loved ones to mean something.
“We are going to hold these opioid manufacturers accountable for the fraudulent decade-long marketing campaign, where they have profited off the anguish of thousands of Oklahomans. Each year, we lose close to 1,000 Oklahomans to overdose deaths, while these companies make in excess of $10 billion from the epidemic they created.”