U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
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'Inflammatory' closing argument should cancel key opioid trial, defendants argue
CLEVELAND (Legal Newsline) - National pharmacy chains called for a mistrial after the lawyer representing two Ohio counties in closing arguments urged jurors to consider the “national ramifications” of their decision and jokingly suggested they “really go after” any member of the panel who refused to find the defendants liable for causing a public nuisance by dispensing opioids. -
One pharmacy settles, others want claims booted in key opioid trial
CLEVELAND (Legal Newsline) - Giant Eagle settled multiple opioid lawsuits against it as fellow defendants in a closely watched trial testing novel public-nuisance theories filed motions to dismiss, arguing the plaintiffs failed to prove their case. -
Judge refuses mistrial in key opioid case despite jury shenanigans
CLEVELAND (Legal Newsline) - The judge overseeing a landmark opioid lawsuit against the nation’s largest pharmacy chains refused to declare a mistrial after a juror performed her own research on a topic plaintiff lawyers raised in cross-examination and shared her results with the rest of the jury. -
Walmart fights motion for mistrial in key opioid trial
CLEVELAND (Legal Newsline) - Walmart rejected a “ginned up” request for mistrial or sanctions by plaintiff lawyers, who said the retail chain had compromised their case by producing more than 1,000 documents after start of a closely watched trial in federal court in Cleveland. -
Opioid judge rejects Giant Eagle's motion to dismiss despite 'full compliance' with rules
CLEVELAND (Legal Newsline) - The judge overseeing federal multidistrict litigation against the opioid industry rejected pharmacy operator Giant Eagle’s motions to dismiss, saying that even though the Drug Enforcement Agency found the company in “full compliance” with federal regulations after multiple inspections, only a jury can decide whether it caused a public nuisance by filling too many prescriptions. -
Trial lawyers haul their mass tort winnings to tax-haven Puerto Rico
On the verge of collecting an outsized share of $2 billion in fees from the $26 billion opioid settlement, attorney Paul T. Farrell did what a growing number of fellow trial lawyers have done: He moved to Puerto Rico. -
Judge caps opioid lawyer fees at %15 - unless they worked really hard
CLEVELAND (Legal Newsline) - The judge overseeing federal opioid litigation capped the contingency fees available to private lawyers representing state and local governments at 15% of a proposed $26 billion settlement fund, saying any more would be unreasonable. -
Opioid judge threatens to abandon MDL process for pharmacies if they don't settle
CLEVELAND (Legal Newsline) - The judge overseeing federal multidistrict opioid litigation said a proposed bellwether trial against Walmart, Walgreens and other pharmacy chains is going off the rails and he might suspend the whole process, sending thousands of cases back to the courts where they originated. -
Pharmacies, facing opioid trials, point to hundreds of cases in which they didn't sell any drugs
CLEVELAND (Legal Newsline) - National pharmacy chains facing a round of bellwether trials the judge overseeing federal opioid litigation hopes will convince them to negotiate a multibillion-dollar settlement complained they are still named in hundreds of lawsuits by municipalities where they have zero market share. -
Opioid judge threatens pharmacies with bankruptcy if they don't settle
CLEVELAND (Legal Newsline) - As multidistrict litigation swamps federal courts, the judge overseeing the multibillion-dollar opioid MDL demonstrated why plaintiff lawyers love the strategy so much: Because it is extremely effective at extracting settlements from the companies they sue. -
Opioid judge has second thoughts, rejects class of drug-addicted infants
CLEVELAND (Legal Newsline) - The federal judge who approved a nationwide class of plaintiffs to try to settle opioid litigation appears to have had a change of heart when it comes to a nationwide class of parents caring for children who were born addicted to narcotics. -
Lawyers leading opioid litigation to negotiate their payday; Judge rejects request for 7%
CLEVELAND (Legal Newsline) - Saying it is almost inevitable they will negotiate their own slice of a multibillion-dollar settlement before it is done, the judge overseeing federal multidistrict opioid litigation refused to order the parties to set aside a set percentage to pay the fees of plaintiff lawyers leading the MDL. -
Judge to opioid lawyers: Show me you're worth 7% of multibillion-dollar settlement
CLEVELAND (Legal Newsline) - The judge overseeing federal multidistrict litigation against the opioid industry has given plaintiff lawyers three weeks to provide more information to justify their request to steer 7% of any global settlement toward a “common benefit fund” for lead attorneys, which could amount to more than $3 billion based on reported settlement amounts. -
Cabell, Huntington opioid cases one step closer to being sent back to West Virginia
CLEVELAND – The cases filed by Cabell County and the City of Huntington against opioid distributors are one step closer to be being heard in a West Virginia federal court. -
More than 500 cities and counties reject opioid class action, will pursue lawsuits on their own
CLEVELAND (Legal Newsline) - More than 500 cities and counties opted out of the unprecedented “negotiation class” proposed by plaintiff lawyers to settle sprawling opioid litigation, leaving 98% of the 34,458 U.S. cities and counties technically still in the class. -
'Absolute panic' as cities, counties face deadline on opioid 'negotiation class'
CLEVELAND (Legal Newsline) - Cities and counties are worried and confused as they face a November deadline to join or opt out of an unprecedented “negotiation class” that could determine how much money they get from opioid litigation, a lawyer who represents Texas municipalities said. -
Sixth Circuit seeks answers from judge as states try to derail opioid bellwether trial
CLEVELAND (Legal Newsline) – The judge overseeing nearly 2,000 opioid lawsuits must address concerns that the cases over which he is presiding are an improper power grab by plaintiffs lawyers who signed up cities and counties as clients. -
Companies blamed for addiction crisis attack plaintiffs' case before historic opioid trial
CLEVELAND (Legal Newsline) - Opioid manufacturers and distributors attacked the fundamental allegations in lawsuits by two Ohio counties that are scheduled to begin trial next month, saying they didn’t contribute to the “public nuisance” of opioid abuse and violated no laws by selling their products in Ohio. -
Jurors won't get confused during huge opioid trial, judge rules; He'll set penalties after
CLEVELAND (Legal Newsline) – A jury will determine who, if anyone, is liable for the nation’s addiction crisis, but the judge overseeing a historic trial will decide how much they would pay. -
Opioid defendants want judge disqualified for pressuring them to settle, not fight
Defendants have asked the federal judge overseeing nearly 2,000 opioid lawsuits by cities and counties to recuse himself, saying he has demonstrated clear bias toward the plaintiffs and toward obtaining a multibillion-dollar settlement instead of holding trials to determine the merits of their claims.