Notices sent to WVa families of babies born exposed to drugs

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — More than 3,800 notices have been sent to the West Virginia families of babies born exposed to drugs as part of the Purdue Pharma bankruptcy case.

The names were sought by a group of attorneys in order to send their families a notice of pending litigation and that they may be eligible to seek compensation, The Herald-Dispatch reported.

A Kanawha County judge signed an order allowing the state Department of Health and Human Resources to release the addresses where the children are believed to be living, and the notice was sent out last week.

The deadline for individuals and entities to file a claim against Purdue Pharma in the federal bankruptcy case was July 30, according to Charleston attorney Booth Goodwin. Attorneys were concerned that many did not know they qualify for compensation because the bankruptcy court was not allowed access to their information. That included families with babies that were born diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome, Goodwin said.

Two attorneys were appointed by the court on the children’s behalf to receive the addresses from a registry that identifies babies born with the syndrome.

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Kassie Simmons
Kassie Simmons joined the team in January 2019 as a weekend journalist. She graduated from Virginia Tech in just two and a half years with a BA in multimedia journalism. During her short time at Virginia Tech, she served as the editor for the university’s chapter of The Tab. Kassie was named the top reporter for The Tab at Virginia Tech on multiple occasions and made the list for the top 30 reporters for The Tab in the U.S. She also studied theater performance and minored in creative writing. Before coming to WOAY, Kassie interned at WSLS in Roanoke and the Tidewater Review in her hometown of West Point, Va. She has loved following breaking news since her childhood and has a passion for delivering the stories people care most about. Kassie is excited to be working in Southern West Virginia and looks forward to all the adventures ahead of her. You can follow her on Twitter at @KassieLSimmons and like her page on Facebook. If you have a story you think she should check out, send her an email at ksimmons@woay.com.