Former West Virginia Attorney General Darrell McGraw dies at 88
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Darrell V. McGraw Jr., a former West Virginia attorney general and state Supreme Court justice who opposed the state’s drug overdose crisis, died Saturday. He was 88.
Jared Hunt, a spokesman for the state Supreme Court, said in an email that McGraw died of a heart attack.
The Democratic Party of West Virginia called McGraw “a tireless advocate for justice, fairness and the people of our great state.”
“His legacy of service and dedication to our state will never be forgotten,” the statement said. “Darrell’s work has had a lasting impact on our state, and his spirit of public service will continue to inspire generations to come.”
McGraw, a Democrat, won a 12-year term on the Supreme Court in 1976. He was elected attorney general in 1992 and reelected four times before losing to Republican Patrick Morrisey in 2012. McGraw lost a bid to return to the Supreme Court in 2012. 2016.
“My prayers and condolences go out to the family and friends of Darrell McGraw for their loss,” Morrisey said in a statement on the social platform X.
In 2001, McGraw accused Purdue Pharma in a lawsuit of unfairly marketing the painkiller OxyContin in West Virginia. The company agreed to a $10 million settlement in 2004.
McGraw later filed a lawsuit alleging excessive amounts of prescription painkillers were flooding pharmacies in southern West Virginia. After McGraw left office, the state announced $20 million settlements with distributor Cardinal Health Inc. and $16 million with AmerisourceBergen Drug Co.
In addition, a Georgia company accused by McGraw of supplying ingredients used to market drugs known as bath salts and synthetic marijuana agreed not to sell or advertise in the state.
The drug overdose epidemic has killed over 1 million people in the United States since 1999. West Virginia has had by far the highest overdose death rate in the country for years.
McGraw also focused on consumer protection and antitrust laws, suing direct mail marketers, credit card companies, alternative lenders and other companies.
In 1998, his office was part of a national settlement against major U.S. cigarette manufacturers. West Virginia currently has the highest percentage of adult smokers.
Born Nov. 8, 1936, in Wyoming County, McGraw enlisted in the Army as a teenager. At West Virginia University, he was elected student body president and earned bachelor’s and law degrees.
He later served as counsel to the state legislature and to Governor Hulett Smith before being elected to the Supreme Court.
McGraw’s wife, Jorea Marple, is a former state schools superintendent. His brother, Warren McGraw, former Supreme Court Justicepassed away last year.
McGraw is survived by his wife and four children, Hunt said.