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A father's fight against fentanyl: Akron family wins $18 million judgment against in lawsuit against Chinese drug supplier

Tom Rauh died of a fentanyl overdose in 2015 after a years-long battle with addiction. His father Jim created the Akron nonprofit Families Against Fentanyl.

AKRON, Ohio — It's been 8 years since Jim Rauh lost his son Tom to a fentanyl overdose.

He was just 37 years old.

"My son Tom was a wonderful man who had a lot of talents," Rauh said.

The Akron family said Tom battled addiction after he was prescribed opioids following a rollerblading accident, eventually turning to heroin.

"To see this happen to our brothers and sisters and countrymen and everything else is not acceptable. And the government needs to do their job and so we're pushing them to do it," Rauh said.

Tom's death fueled his father's fight against the opioid epidemic and he launched the nonprofit organization Families Against Fentanyl.

Jim filed a lawsuit against the Zheng drug trafficking organization in China, claiming that they manufactured and supplied the fentanyl that killed his son.

A Summit County judge recently issued an $18 million judgement against the Zhengs. The family said the victory in the suit is the first of its kind, with the maximum punitive damages allowed under Ohio law.

Jim said it's not about the money, but the fight for justice.

"This just shows the slightest, tiniest, little bit of what's happening to all these families in the United States whose hearts are being broken by this horrible material," Rauh said.

As he works to destigmatize addiction and push for both the U.S. and foreign governments to be held accountable, he shared the importance of finding proper help and programs right away for anyone battling substance abuse.

"Something can be done. We don't have to live with this, we don't have to live with this threat," Rauh said.

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