Our Media Coverage
RICHARD J. HOLLAWELL IN THE MEDIA
“Buchalter, along with Patty Nixon, a former employee of Insys, the maker of SUBSYS, and Richard Hollawell, a small town attorney on a crusade against the company, have found a common cause in attempting to hold Insys responsible for what they say is its role in the opioid crisis.”
Attorney Richard Hollawell has been featured in dozens of major news outlets including The New York Times, The Associated Press, 20/20, and Nightline.
He continues to an expert in the field of opioid over-prescription. Learn more about his crusade against the opioid epedemic here.
Attorney Richard J. Hollawell
Television & Streaming Appearances
Opioids, Bribery And Wall Street: The Inside Story Of A Disgraced Drugmaker
“This story is part of a collaboration with the Financial Times, which includes the documentary Opioids, Inc. — now streaming, and premiering Tuesday, June 23 on PBS.“
Print Media Mentions
Philadelphia police union picked questionable doctors to handle ‘injured on duty’ claim
Twenty years ago, the Philadelphia police union negotiated the power to select its own disability doctors. It repeatedly recruited physicians with questionable practices.
F.D.A. Did Not Intervene to Curb Risky Fentanyl Prescriptions
“A fast-acting class of fentanyl drugs approved only for cancer patients with high opioid tolerance has been prescribed frequently to patients with back pain and migraines…”
Founder of Opioid Maker Sentenced to 5½ Years in Prison
“John N. Kapoor, a former billionaire who founded opioid maker Insys Therapeutics Inc., was sentenced to 5½ years in prison for his role in a racketeering conspiracy to illegally boost sales of his company’s prescription fentanyl drug…”
Too Many Pills, Too Little Oversight
“Pat McGuckin barely recognized her 39-year-old son. Once a personal trainer and bodybuilder, Michael now was exhausted, his limbs bloated, his mood so volatile that he ripped the phone off her wall.”
Opioids, Bribery And Wall Street: The Inside Story Of A Disgraced Drugmaker
Top Executives of Insys, an Opioid Company, Are Found Guilty of Racketeering
“A federal jury on Thursday found the top executives of Insys Therapeutics, a company that sold a fentanyl-based painkiller, guilty of racketeering charges in a rare criminal prosecution that blamed corporate officials for contributing to the nation’s opioid epidemic….”
Who Will Go to Prison Next: Purdue Pharma? The Sackler Family?
Family files wrongful death lawsuit against Hermitage medical center
When Janel Miller’s family or friends needed help, they turned to her. Miller’s sister, Jamie Pietrantonio, called Janel the glue that held the family together.
But Miller’s compassion for others couldn’t keep her from the iron grip of opioid addiction. Pietrantonio blames overprescribed pain-killers for her sister’s addiction and death, prompting a lawsuit by her family against the Pain, Spine, Aesthetic and Wellness Center (or the Pain Center) in Hermitage.
Also named in the wrongful death suit are a former Pain Center doctor, Ashraf Razzak, who died in August 2019; and nurse Christina L. Cole, who no longer works at the center.
Wall Street, bribery and an opioid epidemic: the inside story of a disgraced drugmaker
Ex-Boca school counselor who pushed fentanyl spray for Insys is heading to prison
“Alec Burlakoff — the one-time Boca Raton high school counselor who masterminded a bribery scheme to get doctors to prescribe a potent fentanyl spray — was sentenced to 26 months in prison on Thursday in a Boston courtroom, benefiting from flipping against the owner of the company…”
Best Stories Of The Decade: “An Opioid Spray Showered Billionaire John Kapoor In Riches. Now He’s Feeling The Pain”
“John Kapoor built a $2.1 billion fortune from the opioid fentanyl, which was hailed by markets and some doctors as a wonder drug. That’s before Matt Herper and Michela Tindera exposed how Kapoor pushed the legal and ethical limits to get the drug into the systems of people who didn’t need it. Three years later, he was convicted of racketeering….”
Who Will Go to Prison Next: Purdue Pharma? The Sackler Family?
Opioid lawsuits could bring big payouts, but will NJ victims see any money?
“Brandon Blackman and Salvatore Marchese never met, came from different backgrounds and had little in common, and yet they shared a chilling and familiar end: Both were prescribed legal opioids in 2010, both became addicted, and both were later found dead after overdosing on heroin…”
Families hoping for justice from prescription bribes trial
“Drug company executives weren’t satisfied with sales for their powerful painkiller, so they devised a plan, prosecutors say: Offer cash to doctors in exchange for prescriptions…”
‘Game-changer’ – CEO of fentanyl company found guilty of RICO
“No longer will pharmaceutical companies fear paying only a cost-of-doing business fine for illegally pushing their opioid medications onto an unsuspecting public. Now the executives may face serious prison time after Thursday’s racketeering verdict against John Kapoor, the founder of a company who bribed doctors to amp up their prescribing of a potent fentanyl spray.”
Former CEO said he was made the ‘fall guy’ for opioid maker Insys’
“In the summer of 2015, Michael Babich noticed a marked change in his relationship with John Kapoor, the man who had mentored him and made him CEO of his opioid manufacturing company…”
Billionaire Charged With Bribing Doctors to Prescribe Opioids
“The billionaire owner of Insys Therapeutics was arrested Thursday and charged with leading a nationwide conspiracy to use bribes and fraud to…”
Woman Says Spouse’s Death Was Caused By Over-Prescription Of Opioid Medication
“A Delaware County woman has initiated litigation against a trio of entities consisting of a former doctor, pharmacist and pharmacy, contending their reckless negligence of prescribing large amounts…”
Read More
Report: Drug company faked cancer patients to sell drug
“When Insys Therapeutics got approval to sell an ultra-powerful opioid for cancer patients with acute pain in 2012, it soon discovered a problem: finding enough cancer patients to use the drug…”
Powerful opioid that killed NJ woman likely distributed by Rochester Drug Cooperative
“RDC’s distribution of Subsys was “a link in the criminal, fraudulent scheme that led to the death of Sarah Fuller,” attorneys argue in court papers….”
Cherry Hill mom: Daughter’s opioid death was caused by ‘corporate greed’
“U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D., Mo.) took aim during a hearing Tuesday at marketing practices by the pharmaceutical industry generally and the behavior of one company in particular: Insys Therapeutics Inc…”
The Hard Sell: Crime and Punishment at an Opioid Startup
Richard Hollawell’s landmark case against Insys was recently featured in the best-selling book The Hard Sell: Crime and Punishment at an Opioid Startup.
The book covers the inside story of a band of entrepreneurial upstarts who made millions selling painkillers—until their scheme unraveled, putting them at the center of a landmark criminal trial.