Opioid Trials Set for San Francisco, Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma

The next two cases in a series of bellwether trials in the opioid epidemic multi-district litigation will be brought by the Cherokee Nation and the city and county of San Francisco.

The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation remanded the cases Wednesday despite industry protestations that the litigation would be too costly, too complex, and too confusing to serve as guideposts for the more than 2,700 other cases. The lawsuits are being brought by local governments against opioid makers, distributors, and pharmacies.

The panel rejected arguments from some of the largest businesses in the U.S., including Walmart, Walgreens, and CVS, ...