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.

“We had the utmost faith that the Arkansas Supreme Court would see the wisdom of the prosecutor’s, Counties’ and Cities’ legal argument,” said Chris Villines, executive director of the Association of Arkansas Counties. “We fully believe what these Arkansas Counties and Cities are doing on behalf of their communities is right and just.”

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.

“We have the utmost faith in our legal team, their competency, and their dedication to seeing justice be done in Arkansas,” said Don Zimmerman, executive director of the Arkansas Municipal League. “We know we can work out a solution together, and we again extend our invitation to the Attorney General to join our efforts to bring Opioid Justice for a United Arkansas.”

The Counties, Cities, and Prosecutor Ellington will continue to pursue their unique and united litigation in the State of Arkansas.

For more information go to these sites:
Association of Arkansas Counties
Arkansas Municipal League

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