Victim’s kin in pharmacy killing sue companies, doctor, police

MILLER PLACE, N.Y. — The family of one of four people killed in a New York pharmacy holdup filed a $20 million lawsuit Thursday, alleging that a drug company that manufactures painkillers, a physician accused of improperly distributing the drugs, police officials and others were responsible for the victim’s death.

Attorney John Ray filed the lawsuit on behalf of the daughters of Jaime Taccetta, a customer who was killed in the June shooting at Haven Drugs in the Long Island community of Medford.

“They wish to ensure that everybody and anybody who did anything to harm their mother should be held liable and should have to pay,” Ray said at a press conference where he was joined by one of Taccetta’s daughters.

Taccetta and three others were killed by a gunman who walked into the pharmacy and opened fire, then stuffed a backpack full of painkillers and fled. David Laffer was arrested days later and has since pleaded guilty to murder; he is serving consecutive life-without-parole sentences. His wife, who admitted driving the getaway car, is serving 25 years in prison.

The lawsuit filed in state Supreme Court in Riverhead, N.Y., accused drug maker Abbott Laboratories of failing to monitor the distribution of painkillers like hydrocodone and oxycodone. Ray said the company should have been aware that some physicians were prescribing inordinate amounts of the painkillers.

Scott Stoffel, a spokesman for Abbott Laboratories, said in a statement that Vicodin and hydrocodone with acetaminophen medications have been available for more than 30 years and have an important role in pain control. He said the company works closely with Partnership for a Drug-free America, the National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators and other experts to develop education, monitoring, and intervention programs.

The Suffolk County police department and its former commissioner, Richard Dormer were named as defendants because, Ray said, officers failed to follow through on an investigation of a theft reported by Laffer’s mother prior to the killings. An officer had learned during the theft investigation that Laffer had been issued a pistol permit, and although the officer rec- ommended that he be the subject of a follow-up investigation, no further action appears to have been taken.

Dormer, who retired at the end of last year, said when the revelations came to light in September that the police department had no legal basis to follow up on the officer’s recommendation to investigate further. He noted that Laffer had no prior criminal record at the time.

A spokeswoman said the police department does not comment on pending litigation; she also had no information on how to contact Dormer.

Also named in the lawsuit is the owner of Haven Drugs. Ray said that owner Vinoda Kudchadkar had been the target of three robberies prior to the June shooting, and he should have taken precautions to prevent further robberies, such as hiring a security guard to patrol the store.

A woman answering the telephone at Haven Drugs on Thursday declined to comment.