Opioid Deal-Makers Cleared to Represent Cities Across U.S.
- Judge wants to speed up a deal to get money into communities
- More than 30 states oppose class; Texas warns it’ll tie hands
Photographer: Bill Oxford/iStockphoto via Getty Images
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A judge approved a bid by U.S. cities and counties suing opioid makers such as Johnson & Johnson and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. to negotiate a settlement as a group, in an effort to resolve the sweeping litigation over the addictive painkillers.
U.S. District Judge Dan Polster in Cleveland, overseeing more than 2,000 lawsuits by municipalities, concluded that the negotiation class was necessary to reach a resolution acceptable to plaintiffs and opioid makers and distributors. The class is meant to bring together more than 30,000 U.S. municipalities, most of which haven’t yet filed suit.