West Virginia opioid trial: Here are the closing arguments

Attorneys for the City of Huntington, Cabell County, and the country’s three largest drug distributors are wrapping up a landmark trial in the federal courthouse in Charleston this week.

At stake: whether the millions of doses of opioids Cardinal Health, AmerisourceBergen and McKesson sent to Huntington and Cabell County created a “public nuisance,” and if so, whether some fault lies with the drug distributors.

Huntington and Cabell say it does, and they’re asking for $2 billion to abate the drug crisis in the community. The drug distributors say they aren’t at fault, and are instead pointing the finger at prescribing doctors, federal regulators and illegal drug dealers.

Closing arguments began Tuesday and are expected to continue into Wednesday. Here’s Mountain State Spotlight’s coverage:

Plaintiffs

In eight questions, Cabell County attorney lays out the case against the country’s biggest opioid distributors

Attorneys for the county and the City of Huntington made their final case on Tuesday morning in West Virginia’s landmark opioid case.

Defendants

Drug distributor calls request for money to fix opioid problem a ‘blank check’

The first of three major opioid distributors made its closing arguments in a landmark opioid case to determine whether the companies are responsible for Huntington and Cabell County’s opioid crisis.

defendants

In closing arguments, distributors argue the number of pills they sent to Cabell County wasn’t unreasonable

Companies on trial for flooding Huntington area with opioids finished arguing that they were not to blame for the community’s opioid use disorder and other harms.

rebuttal

After last word from community’s lawyers, WV opioid trial goes to judge

Rebutting the defense’s closing arguments, attorney argues that drug distributors’ actions let part of Cabell County be ‘wiped out’