“At trial, we put an expert on who said the cost of abatement would be in excess of $2 billion,” said Anthony Majestro, counsel for Cabell County in the case. “The irony is that the day after Judge Faber ruled, the opioid distributors, who were the defendants in this case, settled with the rest of the state for the rest of the cities and counties in the state for $400 million and Cabell County and the City of Huntington didn’t get to share in that money.”

The appeals court sent the case back to Faber. He can order a new trial, decide that he still agrees with his original order or can agree with the findings of the Fourth Circuit and find for the plaintiffs.

The opioid distributors could also choose to settle the case, as they did with the state of West Virginia. There is no timeline for when the next steps will be taken. Read the full article.