Oklahoma judge wants more answers on $85M opioid settlement

NORMAN, Okla. — An Oklahoma judge is declining to approve the state’s proposed $85 million settlement with an opioid maker until he’s assured it complies with a new law targeting such deals.

The attorney general’s office says Cleveland County Judge Thad Balkman on Monday ordered attorneys for both the state and Israeli-owned Teva Pharmaceuticals to file additional paperwork before he approves the settlement .

Attorney General spokesman Alex Gerszewski says the judge wants both sides to address how distribution of the money conforms to the new law.

Concerned about how the state’s $270 million settlement with Purdue Pharmaceuticals was structured, the Republican-led Legislature passed a law directing any settlement funds directly into the state treasury.

Read more: https://www.swtimes.com/news/20190611/oklahoma-judge-wants-more-answers-on-85m-opioid-settlement
(Fort Smith Times Record)