OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- The Latest on a request to delay a civil trial in Oklahoma accusing opioid manufacturers of fueling a deadly epidemic (all times local):
5:10 p.m.
The Oklahoma Supreme Court has rejected a request by drugmakers to immediately postpone the May start of a trial in a lawsuit that accuses the companies of fueling the state's opioid epidemic.
On Wednesday, the court instead set a March 20 hearing on whether to grant a 100-day postponement of the trial.
The trial is scheduled to start May 28 in Cleveland County, where a judge has already denied the request.
Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter sued 13 opioid manufacturers in 2017, alleging they fraudulently engaged in marketing campaigns that led to thousands of overdose addictions and deaths.
Several states have filed similar lawsuits, but Oklahoma's is expected to be the first to go to trial.
Drugmakers say they need more time to analyze documents provided by the attorney general.
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11:30 a.m.
Drugmakers accused of fueling an opioid epidemic in Oklahoma are asking the state's highest court to delay a civil trial.
A Supreme Court referee is set to hear drugmakers' request Wednesday after a Cleveland County judge denied a request to postpone the May 28 start. The referee will make a recommendation to the court.
Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter sued 13 opioid manufacturers in 2017, alleging they fraudulently engaged in marketing campaigns that led to thousands of overdose addictions and deaths.
Several states filed similar lawsuits, but Oklahoma's is expected to be the first to go to trial.
The drugmakers say they need more time to analyze more than a million documents they received from the attorney general last month. State attorneys say the companies' allegations are "false and misleading."
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