Add St. Paul to the growing list of states and municipalities across the country that are suing Purdue Pharma in an attempt to hold the drugmaker accountable for the opioid addiction crisis.

The city filed a lawsuit Monday in U.S. District Court against the Connecticut-based pharmaceutical company, which produces OxyContin and is the target of sweeping multi-district litigation.

In its 296-page complaint, St. Paul accused Purdue of racketeering and asked the court to award damages in excess of $75,000 to compensate the city for the costs of dealing with the opioid epidemic. These include expenses related to law enforcement and addiction treatment, among others.

St. Paul’s “injuries, and those of her citizens, were proximately caused by (Purdue’s) racketeering activities,” the complaint said.

The city brought the suit under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO, which was designed to prosecute ongoing criminal enterprises, such as organizing crime.

No one from the St. Paul city attorney’s office could be reached for comment late Monday night.

In May, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison asked a state court for permission to add the owners of Purdue Pharma to a state lawsuit against the drugmaker.

He said the Sackler family, which owns and operates Purdue, was involved in deceptive marketing tactics and strategies to sell more opioids, despite knowing the risks.

At least 10 other states have taken legal action against one or more members of the Sackler family.

A family spokeswoman in May issued a statement denying the allegations, calling the lawsuit a misguided attempt to place blame where it doesn’t belong.

Last May, Lori Swanson, then Minnesota’s attorney general, filed a lawsuit against Purdue Pharma, accusing it of violating consumer fraud laws in marketing OxyContin.

California, Hawaii, Maine and the District of Columbia filed lawsuits last week against Purdue Pharma and Richard Sackler, the company’s former president, joining the other states targeting him or his family members.

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, echoing allegations lodged against Purdue Pharma by others attorneys general across the country, said the company falsely introduced OxyContin in the 1990s as a safe and effective treatment for chronic pain.

However, California’s lawsuit alleges that Purdue and Sackler knew in 1997 that drugs containing oxycodone, such as OxyContin, were widely abused. Still, company representatives marketed it as not being addictive and downplayed the potential for abuse, the suit states.

In a statement last Monday, Purdue Pharma and former directors of the company denied the allegations and vowed to defend against the “misleading attacks.”

Meanwhile, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said opioids are the main driver of drug overdose deaths.

Opioids were involved in 47,600 overdose deaths in the U.S. in 2017, according to the agency. In 2017, it says, prescription opioids were involved in 1,172 overdose deaths in California; 100 overdose deaths in Maine; and 58 in the District of Columbia. Maine set a state record for total drug overdose deaths in 2017 with 417.

Nick Woltman contributed to this report.