Claims Proceed against Physician Who Prescribed Opioids to Patient with Substance Use Disorder

In a lawsuit stemming from the accidental overdose death of a 26-year-old woman from a combination of prescribed medications and illicit drugs, the Supreme Court of New York, Appellate Division, denied a motion for summary judgment requested by the defendants—the physician who was treating the patient until her death and who prescribed the patient oxycodone, fentanyl, and alprazolam, and the wellness center where the physician worked.

In 2007, the patient injured her left shoulder in a motor vehicle accident. She had surgery for the shoulder in June 2008 and again in December 2009, and her care was then directed to pain management physicians. Those physicians eventually discharged her from their care after the patient...