ST. MARTINVILLE, La. (KLFY) -- A class action lawsuit has been filed against a subsidiary of CVS pharmacies in response to the company's campaign against a bill in the Louisiana Legislature.

The lawsuit, filed in the 16th Judicial District Court, stems from reports that CVS Pharmacy sent thousands of Louisiana residents emails and text messages claiming that a bill pending before the Louisiana legislature would force CVS Pharmacy locations to close, cause prescription prices to rise, and result in job losses for pharmacists.

The law firm of Broussard, David & Moroux announced the filing of the class action lawsuit against CVS/Caremark, the prescription benefit manager owned by CVS Health Corp. The suit alleges the messages, distributed under the headline “SOS: Save Our Stores,” urged recipients to contact elected officials and oppose House Bill 358 — a bill designed to prevent Pharmacy Benefit Managers like CVS/Caremark from owning or controlling pharmacies in the state.  

According to the complaint, CVS/Caremark used its patient data systems to send targeted political messages, specifically referencing “your pharmacy,” “your medication,” and “your pharmacist” in what the suit calls an attempt to scare, guilt, or intimidate patients into opposing the legislation.

Gov. Jeff Landry has endorsed the lawsuit.

“Abusing patients’ sensitive information to push a political message is completely unethical and manipulative, and we will not stand for it,” Landry said.

Previously, Attorney General Liz Murrill issued a cease-and-desist letter to CVS.

“This is not an appropriate use of personal information obtained through a state contract,” Murrill said. 

Anyone who received these messages and would like to join in the class action can contact Broussard, David & Moroux or Randy Angelle at Boyer, Hebert, and Angelle.

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