News Roundup

Published for NC Criminal Law on March 04, 2022.

As Reuters reports, this week Purdue Pharma and its owners the Sackler family agreed to pay $6 billion to resolve litigation brought by a group of state attorneys general related to the company’s substantial culpability for the American opioid epidemic.  The deal is part of bankruptcy proceedings that, if approved, will result in Purdue Pharma ceasing to exist.  In 2020 Purdue Pharma pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges related to its distribution of OxyContin.  Keep reading for more news. Taylor Search Acquittal.  The Louisville Courier-Journal reports this week that a jury found former Louisville Metro Police detective Brett Hankison not guilty of criminal wanton endangerment for his actions during the execution of a search warrant at Breonna Taylor’s apartment.  In violation of department policy, Hankison fired his gun into Taylor’s apartment from the outside and through a window and door that were obscured by blinds.  The alleged victims of the endangerment offenses were residents of a neighboring apartment in Taylor’s building.  Hankison was fired from the department in the aftermath of Taylor’s death. Kidnapping.  WRAL reports that Raleigh Police are investigating a kidnapping that took place near NC State’s campus last weekend.  Witnesses said that armed men in ski masks kidnapped a woman and attempted to kidnap a man she lived with around 10pm Sunday night.  The woman later was found unharmed in Durham and investigators believe it was not a random incident. Traffic Cam.  The Greensboro News & Record reports that the Greensboro Police Department has been using 10 automatic [...]