CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — More than 3,800 notices have been sent to the West Virginia families of babies born exposed to drugs as part of the Purdue Pharma bankruptcy case.
The names were sought by a group of attorneys in order to send their families a notice of pending litigation and that they may be eligible to seek compensation, The Herald-Dispatch reported.
A Kanawha County judge signed an order allowing the state Department of Health and Human Resources to release the addresses where the children are believed to be living, and the notice was sent out last week.
The deadline for individuals and entities to file a claim against Purdue Pharma in the federal bankruptcy case was July 30, according to Charleston attorney Booth Goodwin. Attorneys were concerned that many did not know they qualify for compensation because the bankruptcy court was not allowed access to their information. That included families with babies that were born diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome, Goodwin said.
Two attorneys were appointed by the court on the children’s behalf to receive the addresses from a registry that identifies babies born with the syndrome.
