On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Dan Polster in an order stated that he would preside over a trial starting Oct. 7, 2020, for claims made by Cuyahoga and Summit counties against pharmacy companies for fuelling the opioids epidemic.
According to the order, that involves trial against CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Discount Drug Mart, and HBC, which is part of Giant Eagle, the jury selection for the trial will take place between Oct. 7 and Oct. 9, 2020. The Opening statements will commence the following Tuesday, Oct. 13.
The judge in the order noted that trying the case in Cleveland with the two counties will result in faster discovery as the counties produced documents to the defendants when preparing for last month’s canceled trial. The drug manufacturers had also produced documents to the counties in the lead up to the trial.
In a separate order, Judge Polster wrote that it would be best if lawsuits filed by Chicago, the Cherokee Nation, and the city and county of San Francisco were immediately sent back to the courts where they originated so federal judges in other states can oversee proceedings and preside over trials.
