OKLAHOMA CITY - The Oklahoma Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a request by drugmakers to immediately postpone the start of what is expected to be the first state trial in lawsuits accusing the companies of fueling an opioid epidemic. The court instead set a March 20 hearing on whether to grant a 100-day postponement of the civil trial set to start May 28 in Cleveland County. Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter sued 13 opioid manufacturers in 2017, alleging they fraudulently engaged in marketing campaigns that led to thousands of overdose addictions and deaths. “Their actions should not be rewarded with more time to comply with court orders,” Hunter said. “Every day the trial is delayed, we will lose more Oklahomans to prescription opioid overdoses.”

Source: thestar March 13, 2019 16:30 UTC