Drug Co. Attorneys: Disqualify Judge   09/15 10:05

   CLEVELAND (AP) -- Attorneys for eight drug distributors, pharmacies and 
retailers facing trial next month for their roles in the opioid crisis want to 
disqualify the federal judge overseeing their cases, saying he has shown bias 
in his effort to obtain a multibillion-dollar global settlement.

   According to the motion filed late Friday in U.S. District Court in 
Cleveland, where Judge Dan Polster presides over most of the 2,000 lawsuits 
filed by state, local and tribal governments, the judicial code requires judges 
to recuse themselves when there is an appearance of prejudice or bias.

   The attorneys wrote that Polster has made comments during hearings, media 
interviews and public forums about the importance of getting help to 
governments struggling to contain a crisis that has killed 400,000 people 
nationally since 2000.

   "Defendants do not bring this motion lightly," the motion said. "Taken as a 
whole and viewed objectively, the record clearly demonstrates that recusal is 
necessary."

   Polster has not responded to the motion filed by attorneys for the drug 
distributors AmerisourceBergen Drug Corp., Cardinal Health Inc., McKesson Corp. 
and Henry Schein Inc.; drugstore chains CVS, Rite Aid and Walgreens; and 
retailer Walmart.

   Next month's trial on behalf of the Ohio counties of Summit, which includes 
Akron, and Cuyahoga, which includes Cleveland, are viewed by Polster as a 
bellwether that could shape how other lawsuits are resolved. Several drug 
manufacturers have settled with the counties ahead of trial.

   The attorneys say Polster's comments about his intentions to get plaintiffs 
help during hearings, media interviews and public forums are evidence of his 
bias and prejudice. They cited a remark made during the first court hearing in 
January 2018 for the multidistrict litigation when Polster said, "My objective 
is to do something meaningful to abate the crisis and to do it in 2018."

   The motion said: "Under settled law, any one of these statements would be 
enough to cause a reasonable person to question a judge's impartiality."

   A statement released Saturday by the executive committee for attorneys 
representing the government plaintiffs gave Polster their full-fledged support, 
calling him a judge with "great integrity, intelligence, and impartiality" who 
has served on the federal bench for decades.

   The statement calls the defense attorneys' motion "a desperate move on the 
eve of trial by opioid companies that created, fueled and sustained the crisis 
following rulings by the court concluding that there is sufficient evidence to 
find that these companies created a public nuisance and conspired together to 
avoid regulation and sanctions."


(KR)