Opioid MDL Judge Denies Teva’s Motion to Sever from Bellwether Trial

CLEVELAND — The Ohio federal judge overseeing the opioid multidistrict litigation docket has denied Teva Pharmaceuticals’ request to be severed from the Track One bellwether trial, saying he “is confident the parties will be able to present their case to the jury in an intelligible way.”

In an Oct. 11 docket order, Judge Dan Polster of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio rejected Teva’s argument that with only one manufacturer defendant instead of five, the trial will be too complicated.

Teva Pharmaceuticals USA Inc., Cephalon Inc. and Actavis LLC — all of which are part of …