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California · Suboxone lawsuit: who can file and what happens next

Suboxone lawsuit: who can file and what happens next in California

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Filing deadline2 years from discovery. Whether that time has passed depends on your facts, so don't rule yourself out. A lawyer can tell you.Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1

Deadlines vary with the facts of each case. A lawyer can confirm yours.

Updated

01 · Your filing deadline

What is the deadline in California?

California product liability statute of limitations is 2 years from discovery (Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1). Under the discovery rule, the clock begins when the plaintiff knew or should have known the product caused the injury. The FDA's January 12, 2022 safety communication is the primary argued trigger date for most Suboxone dental injury claims in California. A lawyer can confirm yours.

2 years from discovery. Whether that time has passed depends on your facts, so don't rule yourself out. A lawyer can tell you.

Source: Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1

Deadlines vary; a lawyer can confirm yours. An older diagnosis or a past filing window does not, by itself, establish whether you have a claim.

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A lawyer can check which filing rules apply to your circumstances.

02 · Where cases are heard

Where would my case be heard?

California has a 2-year statute of limitations for product liability claims from the date of discovery. Whether that time has passed depends on your facts, so don't rule yourself out. A lawyer can tell you. California is among the top states for Suboxone prescriptions, with high rates of opioid use disorder treatment across urban and rural communities.

Statute of Limitations — CA: 2 years from date of discovery (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 335.1). The discovery rule tolls the period until a plaintiff knew or reasonably should have known that their dental injuries were caused by Suboxone. For most patients, discovery is triggered by a dental diagnosis linking tooth decay or dissolution to sublingual buprenorphine/naloxone film use, not by the January 2022 FDA communication alone.

Dental Board & Malpractice Considerations — CA: California Dental Board (Dental Board of California). California-licensed dentists who diagnose severe Suboxone-related dental erosion may have a duty to document causation in the chart and to advise patients of their legal rights. Malpractice exposure exists for prescribers who continued prescribing without warning patients after the January 2022 FDA safety communication.

Transfer to MDL 3092 — CA: Cases filed in any California federal district (C.D. Cal., N.D. Cal., E.D. Cal., S.D. Cal.) are subject to transfer to MDL 3092 in the Northern District of Ohio (Cleveland) by the JPML. State court cases will not be transferred but may be coordinated in California state court proceedings.

Medical facilities in California

  • UCSF Dental Center — Oral Medicine and Maxillofacial Surgery

  • UCLA School of Dentistry — Oral Surgery and Implantology

How this works nationally

For the overall process and updates, read the Suboxone lawsuit: who can file and what happens next overview. This page covers the local information available for California.

What happens when I check?

You answer a few short questions about what happened. If you send them, your answers are kept on file. If a participating law firm takes these cases, it may contact you. People's Justice is not a law firm.

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Sources

  1. Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1