His Oxy-conflict
GOPer rips opioids, but firm repped drug maker
ALBANY — Republican state attorney general candidate Keith Wofford has made addressing the opioid epidemic a top priority even as his law firm made big bucks representing Big Pharma, the Daily News has learned.
Wofford is a co-managing partner of Ropes & Gray’s New York office. The firm in recent years, according to records, has represented Purdue Pharma — the maker of OxyContin — in nearly 100 lawsuits, as well as a number of other opioid manufacturers.
Wofford campaign spokeswoman Andrea Bozek said “Keith has never been involved with this matter.”
“Ropes & Gray is an international law firm with thousands of employees,” Bozek said.
But the campaign for Wofford’s Democratic opponent, New York City Public Advocate Letitia James, says as a managing partner he benefits from the drug company business.
“Keith Wofford can’t have it both ways,” James spokesman Jack Sterne said. “He can’t claim he wants to address the opioid epidemic while profiting off the crisis through his Wall Street law firm.”
The state attorney general’s office he hopes to head currently has an active illegal practices lawsuit against Purdue Pharma in Suffolk County.
Calling it a potential conflict of interest, Sterne called on Wofford and his law firm to disclose their full client list.
Wofford on his campaign website lists addressing the opioid epidemic as one of his three top priorities.
He has said he supports the attorney general’s ongoing lawsuit against Purdue Pharma and said if elected, he’d pursue the case aggressively. He also vowed to initiate additional investigations into those who have profited from opioid addiction.
Last week he announced a plan that would use recovered settlement or judgement funds by the state from industry related lawsuits to better equip first responders to deal with the issue and provide treatment options for victims of opioid addiction.
He also proposed using the Organized Crime Task Force to investigate individuals or groups who bring fentanyl and heroin into the state and “enlist the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit to investigate companies that failed to disclose the risks associated with opioids and physicians who overprescribed the drugs.”
James on Tuesday announced her own plan to tackle the opioid epidemic that includes appointing a special counsel to deal with the issue and expanding existing litigation against opioid producers to include marketers, distributors, physicians, and pharmaceutical company executives.
She also wants to push legislation to eliminate financial incentives for doctors to prescribe certain drugs and mandating training about substance abuse and addiction.
Meanwhile, Wofford’s campaign Wednesday night unveiled a new television ad questioning James’ independence by accusing James of strong ties to Mayor de Blasio’s “political machine” and saying she won’t investigate corruption in the governor’s office without Gov. Cuomo’s authorization.
“New York’s political class wants us to blindly support their candidate for attorney general, Letitia James, right over a cliff,” the ad says over visuals of people handed blindfolds and falling off a cliff.
While hitting James over issues of taxes and her independence, the ad shifts to promote Wofford as being originally from Buffalo, Harvard educated, independent, and “one of us.”
“He’ll fight corruption Day 1,” the ad says.
James has said under current law the attorney general needs authorization from the governor to investigate most state government corruption.
She has called on the Legislature to pass a bill giving the AG’s office more independence to probe corruption.