A Cleveland judge says the U.S. government has punted on the nationwide opioid epidemic. So he’s grabbing the ball and running with it.
U.S. District Judge Daniel Polster has summoned pharma executives, law enforcement, government officials and lawyers to his court on Wednesday as he tries to forge a deal that would address the crisis and resolve more than 200 lawsuits stemming from it.
It’s a daring strategy even for a 20-year veteran judge who doesn’t shy away from seemingly intractable conflicts. Polster has said he hopes to strike a deal this year to offset the billions of dollars in costs U.S. municipalities face in dealing with an epidemic that claims 150 American lives each day.“It would be fantastic if he can put together a settlement that really addresses these issues in that short a period,” said Jane Eggen, a law professor at Widener University in Delaware who teaches mass-tort law. It’s an “ambitious way to start.”
The rising body count and drain on public coffers spurred Polster to call the summit, putting on hold federal lawsuits against opioid makers including Purdue Pharma Inc., Johnson & Johnson and Endo International Plc and drug distributors McKesson Corp. and Cardinal Health Inc. and others.
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