Chief executives of a handful of pharmaceutical and drug distribution companies are negotiating with government attorneys to see if they can reach a settlement ahead of the first federal trial over the nation's opioid crisis.
Top officials at the companies that are defendants in the case were summoned to a Friday meeting in Cleveland by U.S. District Court Judge Dan Polster, who is overseeing more than 2,000 opioid-related lawsuits.
Jurors are to hear claims from two Ohio counties, Cuyahoga and Summit, with opening statements scheduled for Monday.
Several players in the opioid industry, including those that have previously settled with the two Ohio counties, have been trying to reach a settlement that would resolve all cases against them.
