Hunter: We want to prove our case in front of Oklahomans
OKLAHOMA CITY – Attorney General Mike Hunter today announced United States District Judge Vicki Miles-LaGrange granted the state’s motion to remand, returning the state’s lawsuit against the nation’s leading manufacturers of opioids back to Cleveland County.
Attorney General Hunter said the state’s case remains on track for the May 2019 trial date before Cleveland County District Judge Thad Balkman.
“With today’s ruling, our case moves back to where it has always belonged – Cleveland County,” Attorney General Hunter said. “The time for the defendants’ games is over. This case needs to be decided by a jury of Oklahomans, not buried in an Ohio court with hundreds of other cases. We want the defendants to specifically answer to Oklahomans for their deceitful acts that have led to the death and addiction of our loved ones and friends.
“I applaud our legal team, led by former Federal Judge Mike Burrage and Reggie Whitten, attorneys in my office and the Nix Patterson Law Firm. Their resolve and determination to get this case back to Cleveland County was nothing short of heroic. Further, we are thankful for Judge Miles-LaGrange’s decision to send this case back where it belongs.”
In her 10-page order, Judge Miles-LaGrange concluded the federal court had no jurisdiction over the state’s case.
The lawsuit, filed in June 2017, claims the decades of deceptive marketing by opioid manufacturers created the ongoing public health crisis that continues to devastate the lives of men, women and children across the state and country.
To read Judge Miles-LaGrange’s ruling, click here.