In the News Today – June 12, 2018

Drug Companies Challenge Locality Legal Theories in Opioid MDL: In a flurry of filings late last week, opioid manufacturers, distributors and pharmacies contested several legal theories underpinning the lawsuits they face from over 900 localities. Among other points, the defendants questioned whether Michigan locality suits are permissible under the state’s “statewide concern” doctrine, and whether a public nuisance claim can arise “out of a defendant’s distribution of a lawful product.” (Law360)