US judge finds for 3 drug distributors in WVa opioid lawsuit

By JOHN RABY
Associated Press

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A federal judge has ruled in favor of three major U.S. drug distributors in a landmark lawsuit filed in West Virginia. Judge David Faber issued the ruling Monday nearly a year after closing arguments were held in a bench trial in a lawsuit filed by Cabell County and the city of Huntington. The suit accused AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson of causing a health crisis by distributing 81 million pills over eight years in a county ravaged by opioid addiction. Faber says that while the opioid crisis has taken a considerable toll, such cases should be decided on the facts and the law, not sympathy.