BENTONVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Walmart, files a civil lawsuit against the Justice Department (DOJ) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in connection with allegations that the retail giant contributes to the opioid crisis by filling questionable prescriptions.
Attorney General William Barr, DEA Acting Administrator Timothy Shea are listed as defendants in the court case.
Walmart wants a statement from a federal judge that the government can’t legally seek civil damages based on claims pharmacists filled valid prescriptions that they should have known were questionable.
It’s asking the court to “clarify what requirements apply to pharmacists when they fill prescriptions for opioid medications,” according to a Walmart statement.
The retailer stands by its pharmacists across the country for the work they do, and stated, “Unfortunately, DOJ is forcing Walmart and the company’s pharmacists between a rock and a hard place by saying it will sue Walmart for not doing more to second-guess doctors’ opioid prescriptions, while at the same time state health regulators are threatening Walmart and its pharmacists for going too far in interfering in the doctor-patient relationship.”
The case is pending before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.
