November 07, 2019
The Ohio federal judge supervising multidistrict opioid litigation has warned attorneys for local governments and drug companies that he will unilaterally select future bellwether trials unless they quickly do so themselves, according to a meeting transcript obtained Thursday by Law360.
November 05, 2019
The Ohio federal judge overseeing multidistrict opioid litigation appears to have decided key issues about the MDL's future without first accepting input from pharmacy defendants, according to their strongly worded court filing late Tuesday.
October 31, 2019
Attorneys in the opioid multidistrict litigation are gearing up for a closed-door debate next week over future bellwether trials, a showdown that will closely follow settlements that canceled the MDL's first trial.
October 21, 2019
A rapid outburst of opposition to a $48 billion "settlement framework" in opioid-crisis litigation unveiled Monday by four state attorneys general may signal a shift to local governments and states fighting not only with drug companies but also with each other.
October 21, 2019
Four attorneys general on Monday unveiled a proposed $48 billion deal with major drug companies — Teva Pharmaceuticals, Johnson & Johnson and the nation's largest drug distributors — to resolve a wave of opioid-crisis lawsuits.
October 21, 2019
Two Ohio counties on Monday reached a deal worth $260 million with some of the nation's largest drug companies to avoid the first trial in opioid multidistrict litigation.
October 17, 2019
Amid whirlwind settlement talks, nationwide litigation over the pharmaceutical industry’s alleged role in the opioid crisis is on the cusp of a historic trial. Here, Law360 looks at settlement prospects and key issues if the epic courtroom showdown proceeds.
October 16, 2019
Major drug manufacturers and distributors — including Johnson & Johnson and McKesson — are proposing deals that could be worth a combined $50 billion to resolve large portions of nationwide litigation over pharmaceutical industry liability for the opioid crisis, a source with direct knowledge of the offers told Law360 on Wednesday.
October 10, 2019
The Sixth Circuit on Thursday rejected eleventh-hour bids by the Ohio attorney general and drug companies to block an upcoming bellwether trial in multidistrict litigation accusing drugmakers of fueling the opioid crisis, rejecting the state's arguments that the counties in the case are usurping its authority.
October 08, 2019
A highly anticipated bellwether trial in the opioid multidistrict litigation is increasingly shrouded in uncertainty amid a flurry of settlements with drugmakers and aggressive maneuvers by drug distributors to avoid going before a jury.