In a motion hearing held in Cleveland County Tuesday, Judge Thad Balkman denied opioid manufacturers’ motions to dismiss Oklahoma’s lawsuit against them for creating an addiction epidemic. Attorney General Mike Hunter filed the lawsuit earlier this year. Of course, he agrees with Balkman’s decision to let the lawsuit proceed.
“We appreciate the care with which Judge Balkman evaluated the motions to dismiss and our response, and applaud his decision to move the case forward. My team and I look forward to the next phase of this important case,” said Hunter in a statement after Balkman rendered his decision on the motions to dismiss.
“Through decades of fraudulent marketing campaigns to doctors and consumers, these companies have been the driving force in the deadliest drug epidemic in U.S. history, an epidemic that claimed more than 64,000 lives last year alone.
“Oklahoma continues to suffer greatly because of it. In the last three years, nearly 3,000 Oklahomans have died from overdoses and more than 1,300 newborns have tested positive for substance exposure. The opioid crisis has created a generation of addicts, who continue to struggle on a daily basis.
“These companies put profits over people and we intend to hold them accountable.”
