TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Walmart and other major corporations are asking a federal court to dismiss a lawsuit filed against them by the Cherokee Nation, which argues that the companies have not done enough to stop prescription opioid abuse.
The Oklahoma-based tribe filed the lawsuit in April in tribal court. On Thursday, the companies argued in federal court that the case doesn't belong in tribal court and should be dismissed. Along with Walmart, the lawsuit names CVS, Walgreens and major drug distributors in the U.S.
The lawsuit blames pharmacies and distributors for "consciously oversupplying the market in and around Cherokee Nation with highly addictive prescription opioids."
According to the Tulsa World (http://bit.ly/2t2fhU5), more than 350 Cherokee citizens died from opioid abuse between 2003 and 2014.
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Information from: Tulsa World, http://www.tulsaworld.com