Another legal battle is brewing between Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards and Republican Attorney General Jeff Landry. The A-G filed a motion in court this week to take control of the Edwards administration lawsuit that accuses pharmaceutical companies of worsening the opioid crisis. Landry says it only makes sense for his office to handle this litigation.
The department of health filed its lawsuit on September 27th claiming drug manufacturers intentionally flooded Louisiana with highly addictive and dangerous opioids. Landry says his office was also working on its own lawsuit.
The AG won a legal battle this week over the governor’s office on an executive order dealing with discrimination of LGBT state workers. Landry is confident a state judge will rule that his office can supersede the L-D-H opioid lawsuit and he plans to expand it once he takes control.
Edwards’ executive counsel, Matthew Block, says the governor wants to collaborate on the lawsuit.