Drug lawsuit

Attorneys for drug companies and local governments from around the country are set to meet in Cleveland for what a federal judge is calling “preliminary settlement discussions” in lawsuits over the opioid crisis. Judge Dan Aaron Polster has scheduled a pretrial conference Jan. 31. In a recent court filing, he wrote that he’s also invited state attorneys general to attend. At issue are suits against drug makers and distributors brought by cities and counties from Wisconsin to West Virginia to Ohio. Southern Ohio An Early Bellwether