NASHVILLE – A coalition of Tennessee prosecutors suing national opioid manufacturers says its case is again moving forward after the state Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear companies’ appeal in the Interstate 75 corridor opioid lawsuit.
Prosecutors, including Tenth District Attorney General Stephen Crump of Cleveland, said in a news release the court’s action preserves a previous finding by the state Court of Appeals that the case should move forward. The latest action affirms the legal theories underpinning their suit, prosecutors said.
Now the district attorneys general plan to press for setting a trial date in coming months.
“This is a significant milestone in this case and yet another confirmation of our cause,” said Jared Effler, district attorney general for Tennessee’s Eighth Judicial District. “For more than two years, these companies have been trying to delay and derail this litigation so that they do not have to confront the obvious results of their predatory business practices.”
Effler said prosecutors “are determined to hold them accountable for the harm they have caused and return any financial settlement to the Tennessee cities and counties where the damage has been done.”
