Woman alleges Walgreens liable for son's narcotics overdose, her attempted suicide

A woman who allegedly was prescribed excessive amounts of narcotics has sued the pharmacies and pharmacists who she claims made it so easy for her son to overdose and for her to try to kill herself a day later.

Donna Soltis filed suit May 6 in Cook County Circuit Court, against Walgreens Inc.; Walgreens Pharmacy Stores numbers 4460, 5713 and 1484; unnamed pharmacists in those stores; A and T Pharmacy Inc.; and unknown pharmacists there.

According to the complaint, Soltis started seeing Dr. Blaise Wolfrum in 1990 and continued to be treated at his substance abuse center/pain management clinic until 2014. In 2010, the suit says, Wolfrum "prescribed mega quantities of controlled substances [powerful narcotics, antipsychotics] to the plaintiff."

The lawsuit states "between 2009 to 2013, Walgreens settled with the Drug Enforcement Agency for $80 million to end inquiries and allegations into the defendant's controlled substance monitoring guidelines, training and procedures." Further, the defendants are accused of prescribing excessive prescriptions to the plaintiff, the lawsuit states.

The suit also alleges Soltis' 31-year-old son broke into her medicine cabinet Nov. 23, 2013, and accidentally overdosed on her accumulated stockpile of amphetamines, benzodiazepines and morphine. The next day, despondent over her don's overdose, Donna Soltis tried to kill herself with the excess pills, the lawsuit states.

Walgreens doled out these excessive medications from 2010 to 2014, and A and T Pharmacy and its pharmacists did the same from 2013 to 2014, the suit says.

The plaintiff cites negligent supervision and training, general negligence and negligent infliction of emotional distress.

Soltis seeks unspecified damages, plus costs, to be determined by the court. She is represented by attorney Daniel A. Dailey in Forest Park.

Cook County Circuit Court Case No.: 15-L-4660.