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West Virginia communities seeking a $1.25 billion settlement with the opioid industry are set to go on trial against the companies in late August, a federal judge said Thursday. The Aug. 31 trial date will serve as a deadline for the proposed settlement, which would be a first of its kind deal even as opioid businesses consider settling thousands of lawsuits across the country. (Izaguirre, 3/5)

The Missouri Senate is set to debate legislation next week that would create a statewide prescription drug monitoring program, and it appears to have a better chance of finally passing, leaders said. The program is designed to stop the misuse and abuse of opioids. Missouri is the only state in the country without such a program. The measure passed through a Senate committee last week after passing the House earlier in February. (Driscoll, 3/5)

Relatives of a Vermont woman whose obituary drew national attention for its discussion of her opioid addiction filed a lawsuit Thursday in which they accuse police and jail staff of denying her proper medical care and causing her death. The family of Madelyn Linsenmeir alleges in the federal lawsuit filed in western Massachusetts that law enforcement ignored the 30-year-old mother's repeated pleas for medical help before her October 2018 death caused by an infected heart valve. (3/5)

Business groups and Kansas' Republican attorney general are pushing for a state law that could prevent cities, counties and local school districts from suing big corporations such as opioid and vaping products manufacturers. Attorney General Derek Schmidt has worried that a raft of private lawsuits complicates efforts by states to broker broad legal settlements. An arm of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce contends that trial attorneys are pushing local officials into a wave a litigation amounting to a “shakedown.” (Hanna, 3/5)