NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — The nation’s first state trial against drugmakers blamed for contributing to the opioid crisis is underway in Oklahoma.
Opening arguments started Tuesday with Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter saying powerful painkillers led to the “worst manmade public health crisis” in U.S. history.
Drugmakers deny those claims.
Lawyers for consumer products giant Johnson & Johnson and several subsidiaries are expected to start making their case later Tuesday. Two other pharmaceutical companies have settled with Oklahoma.
The trial could bring to light documents and testimony that show what the companies knew, when they knew it and how they responded.
The outcome could also shape negotiations on how to resolve the roughly 1,500 opioid lawsuits filed by state, local and tribal governments. Those have been consolidated before a federal judge in Ohio.
