Quest Pharmaceuticals Not Covered for Underlying Opioid Actions, 6th Cir. Affirms

CINCINNATI — The 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals has affirmed that drug distributor Quest Pharmaceuticals Inc. is not covered for underlying lawsuits accusing it of contributing to the opioid epidemic because they do not seek damages “because of bodily injury.”

In a Jan. 13 opinion, the appellate panel accepted arguments by Westfield National Insurance Co. and Motorists Mutual Insurance Co. that the underlying actions “seek purely economic damages, which, like punitive damages, are not meant to compensate for a particular bodily injury.”

Kentucky-based Quest specializes in distributing generic versions of popular drugs, including opioids. It was named as a …