Opioid 'Negotiation Class' Likely To Be Approved

Introduction

On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Dan Aaron Polster indicated that he would likely approve the first-of-its-kind "negotiation class" proposed to seek a global settlement with drug companies accused of the opioid crisis.

The negotiation class was proposed on June 14, by plaintiff lawyers on behalf of the local governments, excluding the state attorney general. A plan to organize the country's more than 30,000 local governments into one group has been established in the negotiation class. According to the proposal, cities and counties could opt out of the class, and any settlements would have to win support from 75% of voting governments based on several separate metrics, including 75% of populations and 75% of litigating and non-litigating governments.

The drug distributors have opposed the approach, but judge Polster reiterated that any companies opposing the concept can simply decline to participate.

U.S. District Judge Dan Polster is presiding over all the opioid lawsuits consolidated under MDL No. 2804 (In Re: National Prescription Opiate Litigation) brought by U.S. cities and counties of which most of the cases are filed largely by local governments, native American tribes, and hospitals.

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