October 13, 2020
Johnson & Johnson on Tuesday disclosed that it's offering up to $5 billion to end a nationwide torrent of litigation accusing it of contributing significantly to America's opioid addiction crisis, a 25% increase on an earlier settlement proposal.
October 09, 2020
Drugmakers and retailers facing multidistrict litigation over their alleged role in the opioid epidemic urged a federal judge Friday not to certify a class of legal guardians of babies born to mothers who took opioids during pregnancy, saying their personal injury claims can't be resolved collectively.
October 09, 2020
Amid coronavirus concerns, a West Virginia federal judge on Friday postponed an eagerly awaited bellwether trial in multidistrict opioid litigation shortly before its scheduled start, adding to a series of recent setbacks for local governments that blame drug companies for rampant addiction.
October 09, 2020
A proposed negotiation class intended to seek settlements in the sprawling Ohio multidistrict litigation over the national opioid crisis is urging the Sixth Circuit for a full-court review of a decision last month striking the class down, saying the split panel went against the intent of federal class rules and its own precedent.
October 08, 2020
The first bellwether trial in multidistrict opioid litigation must start this month because an epidemic of painkiller addiction is just as deadly as the coronavirus pandemic, and drug companies are exaggerating the virus threat, local governments told a West Virginia judge late Thursday.
October 05, 2020
Major drug distributors on Monday asked a West Virginia federal judge to delay an imminent bellwether trial in multidistrict opioid litigation by warning of a coronavirus "super-spreader" outbreak, while in Ohio a federal judge postponed another bellwether trial in the MDL because of COVID-19 concerns.
September 22, 2020
The Ohio federal judge overseeing opioid litigation on Tuesday refused to reconsider an earlier decision allowing two Ohio counties' opioid claims to go forward, reaffirming his conclusion that pharmacies should protect against types of diversion beyond theft.
September 08, 2020
Pharmacies have no justification for their request that the Sixth Circuit review a judge's ruling allowing two Ohio counties' opioid claims to go forward, other than that they disagree with the ruling, the counties said Tuesday.
September 04, 2020
Teva's offer to settle thousands of opioid-crisis lawsuits by donating enough opioid-dependence drugs to satisfy most U.S. demand for 10 years is attracting sharp new criticism from a bipartisan assortment of public officials who warn it could crush a vital and highly competitive corner of the pharmaceutical industry, interviews and documents show.
September 01, 2020
A group of Ohio cities and counties asked the federal judge overseeing the opioid multidistrict litigation to sanction Teva and Allergan for the "willful" failure to produce an audit report over suspicious orders of opioids during discovery.