The united coalition of 74 Arkansas Counties and 255 Arkansas Cities represented by the Association of Arkansas Counties and Arkansas Municipal League today announced that the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled in favor of Prosecutor Scott Ellington to deny the petition filed by Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge to remove the State from the joint lawsuit against the opioid drug industry, originally filed March 15 in the Crittenden County Circuit Court.
According to the Press Release, Attorney General Leslie Rutledge filed the emergency petition April 2, arguing that Prosecutor Scott Ellington should not be permitted to bring claims on behalf of the State in the lawsuit along with the Counties and Cities.
Prosecutor Ellington and the Counties and Cities filed responses contending that Ellington was well within his legal rights to file on the State's behalf.
The Counties, Cities, and Prosecutor Ellington will continue to pursue their unique and united litigation in the State of Arkansas.