CEOs, attorneys general trying to reach opioid settlement

Published 10:11 am Saturday, October 19, 2019

Chief executives of a handful of pharmaceutical and drug distribution companies are negotiating with government attorneys to see if they can reach a settlement ahead of the first federal trial over the nation’s opioid crisis.

Top officials at the companies that are defendants in the case were summoned to a Friday meeting in Cleveland by U.S. District Court Judge Dan Polster, who is overseeing more than 2,000 opioid-related lawsuits.

Jurors are to hear claims from two Ohio counties, Cuyahoga and Summit, with opening statements scheduled for Monday.

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Several players in the opioid industry, including those that have previously settled with the two Ohio counties, have been trying to reach a settlement that would resolve all cases against them.