A federal judge from the Northern District of Ohio is tasked with overseeing more than 400 federal lawsuits brought by Native American tribes, cities and counties against drugmakers, drug distributors and retail pharmacies for the companies' alleged role in the opioid crisis, according to The New York Times.
The lawsuits collectively accuse these companies of engaging in deceptive marketing tactics to promote the widespread use of opioids, thereby contributing to the nation's opioid addiction and overdose crisis. The suits seek to recoup funds expended by these entities responding to the crisis.
1. Here are four things to know about Judge Dan Polster.Judge Polster is a graduate of Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Mass., and spent the early part of his career in public service, serving in the Justice Department's Cleveland antitrust division and in the Cleveland U.S. attorney's office, where he prosecuted economic crimes. Former President Bill Clinton appointed him to the federal bench in 1998.
2. In January, Mr. Polster informed attorneys he intended to forgo certain legal norms — like discovery — in the combined opioid case. He also said he would not preside over a years-long "unraveling [of] complicated conspiracy theories," according to the Times. The judge ordered attorneys on both sides to begin preparing for settlement talks immediately in hopes of generating an agreement that would provide meaningful solutions to the national opioid crisis.
"These are bold things for a judge to say, and it's exciting and intriguing to follow," Abbe Gluck, a professor at Yale Law School in New Haven, Conn., told the Times. "But to say that his goals are ambitious would be an enormous understatement."
3. Off the record, attorneys on both sides of the case told Times they questioned the judge's grasp of the issue and predicted that an expedited timetable was not sustainable.
4. Polster told the Times the stakes in the case were high and that he was aware his approach to the case is unorthodox.
"The judicial branch typically doesn't fix social problems, which is why I'm somewhat uncomfortable doing this," Mr. Polster said. "But it seems the most human thing to do."
To read the full report from The New York Times, click here.
More articles on opioids:
Trump calls for federal opioid lawsuit against drug companies
10 Colorado EDs cut opioid use by 36% in 6 months: 5 things to know
DOJ aligns with states in opioid lawsuit, increases scrutiny on drug companies: 4 things to know