Lost Leverage Complicates Opioid Deal Talks for Cities, Counties

Cities and counties pushing for a global settlement in a sprawling opioid lawsuit lost a powerful negotiating tool when the Sixth Circuit opened the door to new lawsuits targeting the same drug distributors.

Thousands of cities and counties are suing drug distributors McKesson Corp., Cardinal Health, AmerisourceBergen, and a group of retail pharmacy chains over their alleged role in the opioid crisis.

The defendants persuaded the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit Sept. 24 to reject the novel “negotiation class,” which created a system for the plaintiff local governments to settle together and divvy up resulting ...