By Rachel Riley

A Seattle-based hospital system has been slapped with a proposed class action in Washington state court over claims that hundreds of patients suffered unwarranted pain and risk of infection because a staff member may have been pocketing painkillers.

By Hannah Albarazi

A Sixth Circuit panel on Tuesday denied a petition from Cigna's Express Scripts and UnitedHealth's Optum seeking to reverse discovery orders allowing certain personnel files and internal communications into the multidistrict opioid litigation, finding that the two pharmacy benefit managers failed to show extraordinary abuses justifying relief.

By Rae Ann Varona

The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals on Monday declined the Fourth Circuit's request to answer whether the state's public nuisance law applies to the distribution of opioids, saying disputed facts in litigation between local governments and drug distribution companies must first be resolved.

By Ali Sullivan

Publix Super Markets Inc. can't slip opioid-related claims from nine municipalities in which the supermarket chain alleges it has no pharmacies, an Ohio federal judge overseeing sprawling national opioid litigation ruled.

By Jack Karp

An Ohio federal judge will not step aside from multidistrict opioid litigation after the plaintiffs' attorney, who had alleged the judge "regularly communicates" with other lawyers involved in the litigation, testified that there was no such communication after all, the judge ruled Tuesday.