Ohio cities and counties together sued 24 drug manufacturers. The Toledo is the first city to attempt in suing. Nearly 300 page lawsuit filed in Lucas County Common Pleas Court.

Mayor Paula Hicks-Hudson says spent more than 400 thousand dollars related to opioid emergency calls. The companies should hold the responsibility for their role in the opioid crisis. The suits involves misleading the public about the dangers of opioids.

“Designed to hold them responsible,” the mayor said. “The goal is to recover our costs and to change the ways in which they prescribe and advertise these drugs.”

“We have had enough of our community members suffering. Also dying of overdoses from the unfair distribution and marketing practices of these addictive drugs. The time is now to hold drug manufacturers and distributors accountable for their actions,” Mayor Hicks-Hudson said.

The companies have denied wrongdoing in response to similar lawsuits filed around the country.

 Recently the state of New Jersey filed a lawsuit against opioid crisis

Further, the law firms represent several other cities, including Dayton and Parma, Ohio, in similar suits. Alleged marketing and distribution of prescription drugs hydrocodone, oxycodone, oxymorphone, methadone. Related to the opioid epidemic affecting this community,” council’s ordinance said.

In addition to Toledo, the state of New Jersey filed a lawsuit. Against the company that manufactures OxyContin, claiming link between the state’s opioid crisis and the firm’s deceptive marketing practices.

However, the city has a deposit agreement that two law firms are only paid if they are successful in court, City Law Director Adam Loukx said.

Meanwhile, the opioid crisis in Toledo has been an issue in the 2017 mayoral contest.