Deborah Denno was quoted in a Washington Post article about the use of drugs as capital punishment.
In three suits filed since last year, drug manufacturers and distributors have taken aim at states on the verge of carrying out executions, accusing them of using deceit to obtain the chemicals and demanding states return them. Experts say the drug companies are turning to the courts as a last resort.
“The companies have found that you have to up the ante because a threat is simply not enough,” said Deborah W. Denno, a law professor at Fordham University and a death penalty expert.
While the lawsuits have had mixed results, Denno said she expects more could follow as companies further try to distance themselves from capital punishment.