Overview

• At a Clifton press conference, Democrat Mikie Sherrill reiterated her claim that Jack Ciattarelli was complicit with opioid companies and linked his past work to deaths of thousands of New Jerseyans.
• Ciattarelli’s campaign rejected the allegation as defamatory, said it will sue, and argued the online tool tied to his former company was designed to help chronic pain patients navigate treatment options.
• Sherrill’s team alleges Ciattarelli’s firm published misleading opioid content and helped create an app that coached patients to ask doctors for hydrocodone prescriptions.
• Reporting notes Ciattarelli sold his medical‑publishing company in 2017, and that the company had published material portraying opioids as a low‑risk treatment for chronic pain.
• The dispute adds a personal‑attack storyline to a closely watched governor’s race, with Election Day on Nov. 4 and New Jersey’s voter registration deadline on Oct. 14.