On March 25, 2019, the Oklahoma Supreme Court denied a request by Defendant drugmakers to delay the start of the first state lawsuit against opioid manufacturers to go to trial. Cleveland County District Court Judge Thad Balkman previously rejected the delay request, saying the matter is of huge public importance and should move forward in a timely fashion.
“By refusing to review Judge Balkman’s prior decision, we are still on track for trial, where we seek justice for Oklahomans who have been affected by the ongoing opioid epidemic. Every day that goes by, we lose more of our loved ones to overdoses or down the tragic road of addiction,” Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter said. “We appreciate the quick action taken by the court and for not rewarding the defendants with more time for a problem of their own making.”
As a result of the ruling, the trial is on track to begin on May 28th in the Cleveland County Oklahoma Courthouse against all Defendants other than Purdue Pharma, who agreed to pay $270 million to settle the claims against it.
Nix Patterson and co-counsel, Whitten Burrage, represent the State of Oklahoma and Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter in litigation against several manufacturers of opioid-based painkillers in a lawsuit filed in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, entitled State of Oklahoma v. Purdue Pharma, L.P., et al.