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Summit County Opioid Suit Will Hear Arguments To Dismiss In September

The judge presiding over the massive opioid lawsuit filed by Summit County, and two other counties, has set a hearing date in September for the defendants’ Motion to Dismiss.

The judge set the date after calling a conference to figure out how to schedule the complex case, with its large number of litigants.

Summit was the first county in Utah to file an opioid lawsuit, in the spring of 2018. It contended that the county and other local governments across the nation are facing an opioid crisis because the defendants, over 20 named manufacturers and distributors, engaged in a deceptive marketing campaign that promoted opioids for chronic long-term pain and downplayed the risks of addiction.

In a hearing in February Third District Court Judge Richard Mrazik consolidated Summit’s case with the suits filed by Salt Lake and Tooele, since they’re all in the Third District.

In a conference on Monday held in Salt Lake, Judge Mrazik told his audience, of about two dozen legal representatives, that the cases “haven’t moved an inch.”

The counsel for Salt Lake County, Richard Kaplan, said they want to move forward as quickly as they can.

But one of the attorneys representing Summit County, Colin King, said they anticipate signing up other Utah counties to the same identical lawsuit— a total of 19 counties--, and they could agree to move the venue for their cases to Judge Mrazik’s courtroom.

The judge discussed holding a Motion to Dismiss hearing where the arguments can be aired from the manufacturers, the distributors, and one individual doctor, Lynn Webster, named in the suit.

The judge has set September 10th to hear oral arguments from the attorneys.

Known for getting all the facts right, as well as his distinctive sign-off, Rick covered Summit County meetings and issues for 35 years on KPCW. He now heads the Friday Film Review team.
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