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Drug Distributors, Pharmacies Act to Dump Opioid Case Judge

  • Bid to remove Polster comes a month before first federal trial
  • Companies claim Cleveland jurist appears biased against them
Opioids killed more than 42,000 people in the U.S. in 2016.
Photographer: Education Images/Universal Images Group Editorial
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AmerisourceBergen Corp., Cardinal Health Inc., CVS Health Corp. units and other prescription drug distributors and pharmacies moved to bounce Cleveland federal judge Dan Polster from the massive opioid liability case he’s overseeing, claiming he’s likely biased against them.

The Saturday court filing comes just days after Polster approved creation of a plaintiffs’ negotiating group to hammer out a deal between pharmaceutical industry players and some of the more than 2,000 cities and counties suing them for allegedly fostering the American opioid abuse crisis.