White pills spilling out of a prescription bottle.

The Hill: Drug companies back effort to remove judge from federal lawsuit

This article was originally published in The Hill.

Lawyers for drug companies and pharmacies have expressed support for removing a federal judge who has been overseeing lawsuits against the companies over their alleged role in the opioid crisis.

In court documents filed Saturday, the companies questioned whether U.S. District Judge Dan Polster in Cleveland was impartial because he has encouraged both sides to settle.

“Taken as a whole and viewed objectively, the record clearly demonstrates that recusal is necessary,” the lawyers wrote.

They added that the record includes “judicial and extra-judicial statements evidencing a personal objective to do something meaningful to abate the opioid crisis.”

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