Distributor Cardinal Health Says Res Judicata Bars Opioid Lawsuit

CLEVELAND — Drug distributor Cardinal Health has moved to dismiss an opioid-related lawsuit filed by a West Virginia county on res judicata grounds, pointing to a previous, identical lawsuit filed by the state’s attorney general that was settled in 2017.

In a June 8 motion filed before Judge Dan A. Polster of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Cardinal argues that Cabell County — a political subdivision of the State — asserts the very same claims made by the State in its 2012 lawsuit, which was dismissed with prejudice. As such, the County’s claims should be …