By David Beard, The Dominion Post
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — State Attorney General Patrick Morrisey announced Thursday that the state Mass Litigation Panel has granted his motion to expedite the trial of the state’s cases against several drug manufacturers.
Three lawsuits — one against Teva Pharmaceuticals and one against Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals, both filed in August 2019, and one against Endo Health Solutions, filed in November 2019 — will be considered together. The trial is set to begin April 4, 2022.
The Mass Litigation Panel also denied the defendants’ motion to delay the cases any further.
“This is a big win for the state and a huge step toward gaining justice for all those impacted by the opioid crisis,” Morrisey said in his announcement. “The defendants’ alleged actions have caused widespread harm to our state and its citizens. They must be held accountable.”
All three suits were filed in Boone County Circuit Court; they will be heard by the Mass Litigation Panel in Kanawha County…
