Oxycontin Manufacturer Granted Summary Judgment in Wrongful Death Cas

LEWISBURG, W.Va.-A circuit judge in West Virginia has granted Purdue Pharma's motion for summary judgment in an Oxycontin case where the manufacturer claimed it could not be held liable because of the nature of the alleged drug addict's injury. Allen v. Purdue Pharma, et al., No. 01-C-224 (Cir. Co. W.Va. Greenbrier Cty.).

Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court Judge James J. Rowe's Aug. 15 order stated that the plaintiff was barred from recovery since the 'unlawful and immoral acts' of plaintiff Rebecca Allen were the proximate cause of her Oxycontin-related overdose and death.

Brian Allen, the administrator of Rebecca Allen's estate, filed …