Paul T. Farrell Jr.

Paul Thomas Farrell Jr. (born July 1, 1972) is an American attorney from Huntington, West Virginia who ran for President of the United States in the 2016 West Virginia Democratic primary.

Paul T. Farrell Jr.
Born
Paul Thomas Farrell Jr.

(1972-07-01) July 1, 1972
Alma materUniversity of Notre Dame (B.A.) West Virginia University (J.D.)
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Jacqueline K. Farrell
ChildrenConnor, Cahley, Casey
Parent(s)Paul T. Farrell, Charlene M. Linsenmeyer

Early life and education

Paul Thomas Farrell Jr. was born to Judge Paul Thomas Farrell and Charlene Marie Linsenmeyer on July 1, 1972.[1][2] Farrell spent his first few years in Morgantown, West Virginia before moving to Huntington. There he would graduate from Huntington East High School in 1990. Farrell would later graduate from University of Notre Dame in 1994, and the West Virginia University College of Law in 1997, where he was the managing editor of the Law Review.[3]

2016 presidential campaign
Ballot access
Percentage of vote received by county
  <5%
  5–10%
  10–15%
  15–20%
  >20%

On January 28, 2016, Farrell filed for President of the United States for the Democratic Party in West Virginia.[4] He cited West Virginia's disenchantment with the national candidates as his motivation for running, noting U.S. President Barack Obama's poor showing in the 2012 Democratic Primary in West Virginia.[5][6][7] Farrell did not plan to run in any additional states, instead saying he would like to bring national attention to the 'economically gutted regions of the state' caused by the war on coal.[8] Farrell came in third in the West Virginia primary, receiving just under 9 percent of the vote.[9] In his best performance, Farrell came in second place in Mingo County, beating Hillary Clinton by 113 votes.[10] He lost to Bernie Sanders, who won every county in the state.

Career

Farrell practiced for 15 years at the law firm of Greene, Ketchum, Farrell, Bailey & Tweel[11] where he was a partner. His work at Greene Ketchum focused primarily on medical malpractice and personal injury lawsuits.

In January of 2020, Farrell launched his own law firm,[12] Farrell Law.

Opioid Epidemic

Farrell's home state of West Virginia has been the epicenter of the opioid epidemic. Between 2007 and 2012, drug distribution companies shipped 780 million doses of opioids to West Virginia, and 1,728 overdose deaths occurred.[13] In 2017, Farrell filed a series of lawsuits against the drug company distributors under the state's public nuisance laws.[14][15] The suits, filed on behalf of various counties, seek to hold the drug distribution companies accountable for the cost incurred fighting the epidemic. In Cabell County alone, 40 million tablets were distributed in a five-year period, more than 400 for each of the 96,000 people who reside there.[16]

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References
  1. "Charlene Farrell – Making community service a family affair" (PDF). Hospice of Huntington. 2008.
  2. Asbury, Kyla (February 15, 2011). "New Cabell judge sworn in".
  3. "Paul Thomas Farrell Jr". Farrell Law.
  4. "Huntington lawyer running for president". Charleston Gazette-Mail. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  5. BISHOP NASH (29 January 2016). "Local attorney running for US president". The Herald-Dispatch. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  6. "Who's running for office in West Virginia?". Charleston Gazette-Mail. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  7. "West Virginia Presidential Primary Ballots Set". ballot-access.org. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  8. Clark Davis. "Huntington Lawyer for President?". wvpublic.org. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  9. "West Virginia Democratic Primary". The Green Papers. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  10. Rappeport, Alan (2016-05-11). "Protest Candidate, Paul Farrell, Wins 9 Percent of West Virginia Primary Vote". The New York Times - First Draft. Retrieved 2017-06-27.
  11. Dickerson, Chris. "Farrell starts new law firm, updates status of national opioid litigation". West Virginia Record. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
  12. Dickerson, Chris. "Farrell starts new law firm, updates status of national opioid litigation". West Virginia Record. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
  13. "Drug firms poured 780M painkillers into WV amid rise of overdoses". Charleston Gazette-Mail. Retrieved 2017-06-27.
  14. "Lawyer Behind West Virginia County Lawsuit Against Opioid Distributors". NPR.org. Retrieved 2017-06-27.
  15. "Drugmakers and distributors face barrage of lawsuits over opioid epidemic". washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2017-07-05.
  16. "Opioid distributors sued by West Virginia counties hit by drug crisis". Washington Post. Retrieved 2017-06-27.
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