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Tuesday, October 15, 2019

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After fiery hearing, Purdue Pharma gets two-week break from opioid lawsuits

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (Legal Newsline) - The federal bankruptcy judge overseeing Purdue Pharma’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization granted the OxyContin manufacturer and its controlling Sackler family a two-week respite from opioid litigation to work on a settlement that appeases warring state attorneys general and a growing list of municipal and private plaintiffs.

By Daniel Fisher | Oct 14, 2019

No luck for Ohio AG in attempt to halt first federal opioid trial

CINCINNATI (Legal Newsline) – A federal appeals court has turned away an attempt to halt the first federal opioid trial by ruling Thursday against Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, who is concerned cities and counties in his state have usurped his authority.

By John O'Brien | Oct 10, 2019

Latest News

Should we 'settle in for a decade' of fighting in Purdue Pharma bankruptcy?

By Daniel Fisher | Oct 9, 2019

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (Legal Newsline) - Purdue Pharma’s already contentious bankruptcy will face a pair of big tests later this week as the OxyContin manufacturer appears in hearings over issues including paying its employees and halting more than 2,600 lawsuits against the company and members of the controlling Sackler family.

Issues, like bias claims against judge, remain unresolved as bellwether opioid trials approach

By Dan Fisher | Oct 2, 2019

CLEVELAND (Legal Newsline) - The remaining defendants facing an Oct. 21 trial in Ohio over opioid claims have asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit to stay proceedings until challenges by the Ohio attorney general and others are concluded.

Sixth Circuit seeks answers from judge as states try to derail opioid bellwether trial

By John O'Brien | Sep 25, 2019

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.

Jurors won't get confused during huge opioid trial, judge rules; He'll set penalties after

By John O'Brien | Sep 24, 2019

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.

Purdue Pharma, in opting for bankruptcy, says global settlement of opioid litigation is impossible

By Daniel Fisher | Sep 16, 2019

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (Legal Newsline) - Purdue Pharma filed for bankruptcy protection, as expected, setting off an expensive process the company says is the only way to “bring order to the unrelenting chaos” of “piecemeal litigation” against it.

Just Puppies challenges new Maryland ban on pet sales in retail stores

By Carrie Bradon | Sep 9, 2019

BALTIMORE (Legal Newsline) – Pet sellers allege that Maryland's soon-to-be-enacted ban on the sales of dogs and cats in retail stores is unconstitutional and will cause pet sales to be conducted in unregulated marketplaces.

Battle between states and cities for opioid money escalates as Ohio AG makes play for control of litigation

By Daniel Fisher | Aug 30, 2019

CINCINNATI (Legal Newsline) - Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has asked a federal appeals court to halt or dismiss the first two bellwether trials in opioid multidistrict litigation, in a major escalation of the long-brewing fight between state AGs and cities/counties seeking their own share of opioid lawsuit proceeds.

Opioid judge limits plaintiffs' key evidence as first trials loom

By Daniel Fisher | Aug 29, 2019

CLEVELAND (Legal Newsline) - The federal judge overseeing nationwide litigation against the opioid industry stripped plaintiffs of potentially important evidence when he prohibited three witnesses from testifying that drug-company marketing and educational programs caused physicians to prescribe too many opioids to their patients.

Mississippi Supreme Court rejects appointment of special master in AG Hood's Hurricane Katrina lawsuits

By Marian Johns and Scott Holland | Aug 29, 2019

JACKSON, Miss. (Legal Newsline) – The Mississippi Supreme Court has ruled a circuit court abused its discretion in the assigning of a special master and in the reassignment of a case involving Hurricane Katrina insurance and the state's Homeowner Assistance Program (HAP).

Private lawyers stand to make $90 million as judge hits Johnson & Johnson with $572M opioid ruling

By Daniel Fisher | Aug 26, 2019

NORMAN, Okla. (Legal Newsline) - A state judge in Oklahoma has blamed Johnson & Johnson for the state's opioid crisis and ordered it to pay $572 million in damages, extending public nuisance law beyond its traditional boundaries into what may become an all-purpose tool for government lawsuits against product manufacturers.

The trial bar continues spending on its new favorite Republican in Mississippi

By John O'Brien | Aug 21, 2019

Pennsylvania firms join other plaintiffs lawyers around the country in hoping Lynn Fitch becomes Mississippi's attorney general

Major plaintiffs firms that snagged states as opioid clients have been shut out of settlement talks by judge

By Daniel Fisher | Aug 20, 2019

CLEVELAND (Legal Newsline) - Recognizing the growing conflict between states and municipalities that are separately suing the opioid industry, U.S. District Judge Dan Polster has removed lawyers that represent both states and cities from any role in negotiating a potential class action settlement of opioid claims.

Judge allows Rhode Island's opioid suit to go forward despite public nuisance precedent

By Daniel Fisher | Aug 20, 2019

Judge allows Rhode Island's opioid suit to go forward despite public nuisance precedent

Opioid judge, without explanation, rejects claim that 45-defendant mass trial will confuse jurors

By John O'Brien | Aug 7, 2019

CLEVELAND (Legal Newsline) – The federal judge overseeing about 2,000 opioid lawsuits has rejected the argument that his planned seven-week trial will be a free-for-all of evidence and legal theories that will feature dozens of defendants and confused jurors.

J&J attorneys bring witness to counter Kolodny in Oklahoma opioid trial

By John Sammon | Jul 2, 2019

NORMAN, Okla. (Legal Newsline) – Attorneys defending Johnson & Johnson in a trial accusing the company of creating an opioid drug crisis in Oklahoma on Monday brought in an expert witness to counter the testimony of Dr. Andrew Kolodny - a witness the company has alleged is a "de facto" member of the State's legal team.

Janssen says addicts would have struggled to snort its opioids; Nucynta broke coffee grinder during testing

By John Sammon | Jul 1, 2019

NORMAN, Okla. (Legal Newsline) – A former researcher with Janssen Pharmaceuticals, the drug subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, on Friday said the company’s opioid products were safe if used properly, while attorneys hired by Oklahoma alleged J&J had played loose with the facts.

Proposed opioid 'negotiation class' is unnecessary and likely to fail, former negotiator says

By Daniel Fisher | Jul 1, 2019

CLEVELAND (Legal Newsline) - A proposed opioid “negotiation class” that would include more than 24,000 U.S. cities and counties is a waste of judicial resources unlikely to achieve its stated goal of hammering out a global settlement, say critics, including a former Connecticut official who was directly involved in negotiations with the opioid industry.