Oklahoma Opioid Case Remanded Back to State Court

Oklahoma Opioid Case Remanded Back to State Court

Introduction

U.S. District Judge Vicki Miles-LaGrange announced that the opioid lawsuit filed by the state of Oklahoma against the drug makers does not "necessarily rise" federal concern and remanded it back to the state court. The lawsuit filed in June 2017 was moved to federal court by the manufacturers, debating that the state required them to make different safety and efficacy disclosures to the general public.

A private attorney, representing the tribes and the state told that the ruling would prevent the case being squeezed into the already pending lot of 800 lawsuits in Ohio. The defendants in the litigation: Purdue Pharma, Allergan, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Teva Pharmaceuticals and several of their subsidiaries continue to deny any wrongdoing though they consider the epidemic as a serious health issue. Oklahoma is one among 13 other states that have filed false marketing charges against the opioid manufacturers.

Opioid lawsuits have been filed at the state, city, and county-level, and a multidistrict litigation (MDL No. 2804; In Re: National Prescription Opiate Litigation) was formed on December 5, 2017, presided over by Judge Dan A. Polster for coordinated pretrial proceedings.