Former BJ reporter and later legal counsel (2000-2008) Karen Chuparkoff Lefton played a major role in ripping open a secret drug database that exposed big pharma’s atrocious dumping nine million pills into a town of 392 people in Kermit, West Virginia.

University of Akron Law School graduate Karen (while a reporter at Ol’ Blue Walls) made the legal argument for the Washington Post in the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals that led to release of the dastardly information.

That stacked Karen against Big Pharma and Trump’s Department of Justice. No contest. As Karen said, “It was a walk in the park.”

By a woman working out of a small office in Summit Mall with her partner, Brouse McDowell. Former BJ managing editor Tim Smith, who also got his law degree while working at 44 E. Exchange Street, is an associate with the group.

Big Pharma pumped hundreds of millions of opioid pills into West Virginia, including 9 million into Kermit, which has 392 people. That would be 2,300 opioid pills for each person living in Kermit. That’s outrageous!

Two thousand cities and hundreds of lawyers are pitted against two dozen Big Pharma companies.

A trial date has been set for October 21 using Summit and Cuyahoga counties to represent all the parties involved.

WVU law professors Patrick McGinley and Suzanne Weise also are involved with the plaintiffs.

 For the Washington Post article about Karen, go to

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/how-an-epic-legal-battle-brought-a-secret-drug-database-to-light/2019/08/02/3bc594ce-b3d4-11e9-951e-de024209545d_story.html?fbclid=IwAR2kQIxlDpZ-DvsXSfU68MsE0Q9Z1URFQijQd1x4Tp-uo8NmIs04PezkTkg&utm_term=.9b3983d3df03