BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana's attorney general will take charge of the state's lawsuit against opioid manufacturers, in a deal reached with the governor's office.
Gov. John Bel Edwards and Attorney General Jeff Landry announced a deal Tuesday that ends their dispute over who controls a lawsuit accusing drug companies of worsening opioid abuse in Louisiana.
The disagreement had worked its way into court, with a judge asked to decide which statewide elected official should be in charge of the litigation. Lawyers for Edwards and Landry told the judge an agreement was struck.
The Edwards administration filed the lawsuit in September through the state health department. Landry said the scope should be broadened to include opioids' impacts on other agencies.
Landry's office will take lead responsibility in the case, coordinating with the Edwards administration.
-By Melinda Deslatte, Associated Press
