Deadline Hits for Local Governments to Opt Out of Opioid Class (1)

The deadline has arrived for thousands of U.S. cities and counties involved in a massive lawsuit against the opioid supply chain to decide whether to opt out of the negotiating class established to streamline the litigation.

Preliminary numbers reveal very few are choosing to go their own way—good news for the plaintiffs’ leadership team, which needs buy-in from three-quarters of local governments in order to work.

The multidistrict litigation has seen “very minimal” opt-outs, with fewer than 400 as of Friday afternoon, said Jayne Conroy, a partner with Simmons Hanly Conroy and co-lead of the negotiation class. While more than ...