美国国家公共电台 NPR Oklahoma Drops Some Claims To 'Refocus' Lawsuit Against Opioid-Makers

Oklahoma Drops Some Claims To 'Refocus' Lawsuit¹ Against Opioid-Makers²

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

A trial date is approaching for makers of opioids. And the state of Oklahoma, which sued them, is making adjustments to its case. Oklahoma reached a settlement with Purdue Pharma earlier this week. It will pay $270 million to Oklahoma for its role in the opioid crisis. The state is dropping some charges against other companies.

Here's Jackie Fortier of StateImpact Oklahoma.

JACKIE FORTIER: Oklahoma has dismissed claims that included fraud and unjust enrichment against three drug companies who the state alleges³ helped ignite the opioid crisis with aggressive marketing⁴. Now the whole case rests on a public nuisance claim. Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter says they streamlined the case.

MIKE HUNTER: It also allows us to avoid a lot of the pretrial - what I'm going to refer to as stalling tactics by the defendants⁵.

FORTIER: The defendants are now opioid manufacturers Johnson & Johnson, Teva Pharmaceuticals⁶ USA and Allergan. With a trial date of May 28 fast approaching, these last-minute legal maneuverings are being closely watched. Oklahoma's is the first of the major opioid cases slated⁷ to go to trial this year.

ALEXANDRA LAHAV: So it is not at all unusual that claims will fall out before trial.

FORTIER: Alexandra Lahav is a law professor at the University of Connecticut. She says that last week's $270 million settlement by Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family, which will fund a drug addiction⁸ research and treatment center, has changed Oklahoma's case against the remaining drug companies.

LAHAV: And the evidence against Purdue is very bad. And so if these defendants don't have evidence like that against them - so if they don't have emails where they're being disparaging⁹ or dismissive of the opioids crisis, for example, where they seem to be taking advantage - then they're in a much better position than Purdue is.

FORTIER: Lahav says the Oklahoma case will give a clue as to how the drug companies may handle the roughly 1,100 other cases against them across the country.

LAHAV: I do think this does set a tone for the next six months to see, are defendants ready to settle? Or are defendants going to continue litigating these cases? It does seem that Purdue is ready to settle. But that is - you know, these other defendants are in a different position. The evidence against them is different.

FORTIER: If the state's public nuisance claim prevails, Big Pharma could have to spend billions of dollars in Oklahoma helping¹⁰ ease the epidemic¹¹. The state has also requested a bench trial, meaning the judge would decide if the drug companies are at fault, not a jury.

For NPR News, I'm Jackie Fortier in Norman, Okla.

1 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

2 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 alleges   

断言，宣称，辩解( allege的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The newspaper article alleges that the mayor is corrupt. 报纸上断言该市长腐败。
• Steven was tardy this morning and alleges that his bus was late. 史提芬今天早上迟到的说词是公车误点了。

4 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

5 defendants   

被告( defendant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The courts heard that the six defendants had been coerced into making a confession. 法官审判时发现6位被告人曾被迫承认罪行。
• As in courts, the defendants are represented by legal counsel. 与法院相同，被告有辩护律师作为代表。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

6 pharmaceuticals   

n.医药品；药物( pharmaceutical的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• the development of new pharmaceuticals 新药的开发
• The companies are pouring trillions of yen into biotechnology research,especially for pharmaceuticals and new seeds. 这些公司将大量资金投入生物工艺学研究，尤其是药品和新种子方面。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 slated   

用石板瓦盖( slate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Yuki is working up an in-home phonics program slated for Thursdays, and I'm drilling her on English conversation at dinnertime. Yuki每周四还有一次家庭语音课。我在晚餐时训练她的英语口语。
• Bromfield was slated to become U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. 布罗姆菲尔德被提名为美国农业部长。

8 addiction   

n.上瘾入迷，嗜好

参考例句：

• He stole money from his parents to feed his addiction.他从父母那儿偷钱以满足自己的嗜好。
• Areas of drug dealing are hellholes of addiction,poverty and murder.贩卖毒品的地区往往是吸毒上瘾、贫困和发生谋杀的地方。

9 disparaging   

adj.轻蔑的，毁谤的v.轻视( disparage的现在分词 )；贬低；批评；非难

参考例句：

• Halliday's comments grew daily more and more sparklingly disagreeable and disparaging. 一天天过去，哈里代的评论越来越肆无忌惮，越来越讨人嫌，越来越阴损了。 来自英汉文学 - 败坏赫德莱堡
• Even with favorable items they would usually add some disparaging comments. 即使对好消息，他们也往往要加上几句诋毁的评语。 来自互联网

10 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

11 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。