Opinion
1210300 1210313
04-21-2023
EX PARTE WALMART INC. et al. (In re: Mobile County Board of Health and Family Oriented Primary Health Care Clinic, Inc. v. Mitchell "Chip" Fisher et al.) Mobile County v. Mobile County Board of Health and Family Oriented Primary Health Care Clinic, Inc.
Alan T. Hargrove, Jr., and Dennis R. Bailey of Rushton, Stakely, Johnston & Garrett, P.A., Montgomery (withdrew 9/1/22); Joseph D. Steadman, Jr., and Matthew C. McDonald of Jones Walker LLP, Mobile; Jason C. Wright of Jones Day, Los Angeles, California; and William G. Laxton, Jr., of Jones Day, Washington, D.C., for petitioners Walmart Inc., and WalMart Stores East, LP. Sara M. Turner and Leigh Anne Fleming of Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz, P.C., Birmingham; and Nina R. Rose of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, Washington, D.C., for petitioners Endo Health Solutions Inc., Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc., Par Pharmaceuticals Companies, Inc., and Par Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Bert P. Taylor of Taylor Partners, LLC, Orange Beach; and Michael D’Agostino of Morgan, Lewis & Beckius LLP, Hartford, Connecticut, for petitioners Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc., Cephalon, Inc., Actavis LLC, and Actavis Pharma, Inc. Harlan I. Prater IV of Lightfoot, Franklin & White, LLC, Birmingham, for petitioner McKesson Corporation. Christopher S. Berdy, Caroline D. Walker, and Xan Ingram Flowers of Butler Snow, Birmingham; Charles C. Lifland and Justine M. Daniels of O’Melveny & Meyers LLP, Los Angeles, California; and Steve Brody of O’Melveny &Meyers LLP, Washington, D.C., for petitioners Johnson & Johnson and Janssen Pharmaceuticals,Inc. Gerald C. Swann, Jr., of Ball, Ball, Matthews & Novak, P.A., Montgomery; Daniel G. Jarcho of Alston & Bird LLP, Washington, D.C.; and Cari K, Dawson and Jenny A. Hergenrother of Alston & Bird LLP, Atlanta, Georgia, for petitioner Noramco, Inc. Anne Stone Sumblin of Stone Sumblin Law LLC, Kinston; and John S. Phillips of Barlit Beck LLP, Denver, Colorado, for petitioners Walgreen Co. and Walgreen Eastern Co., Inc. H. Lanier Brown II, J. Patrick Strubel, and Emily S. Walters of Watkins & Eager PLLC, Birmingham; Stan Perry and Nicole S. Soussan of ReedSmith, Houston, Texas; and Rachel B. Weil of ReedSmith, Philadephia, Pennsylvania, for petitioner AmerisourceBergen Drug Corporation. Andrew P. Campbell and Cason M. Kirby of Campbell Partners LLC, Birmingham; and Coner B. O’Croinin of Zuckerman Spaeder LLP, Baltimore, Maryland, for petitioners CVS Pharmacy, Inc., and CVS Indiana, L.L.C. Alex L. Holtsford, Jr., of Holtsford Gilliland Higgins Hitson & Howard, P.C., Montgomery; F. Chadwick Morriss of Kirkland & Ellis LLP, Washington, D.C.; James F. Hurst, P.C., Rebecca Fitzpatrick, P.C., Hariklia Karis, P.C., and Maria Pellegrino Rivera of Kirkland & Ellis LLP, Chicago, Illinois; and Janine Metcalf and Meghan E. Breen of Jones Day, Atlanta, Georgia, for petitioners Allergan Finance, LLC, Allergan Sales, LLC, and Allergan USA, Inc. Jay Michael Ross of Adams and Reese, LLP, Mobile; Diandra "Fu" Debrosse Zimmerman of DiCello Levitt Gutzler, LLC, Birmingham; Christina D. Crow of Jinks Crow & Dickson, P.C., Union Springs; and Peter J. Mougey, Page A. Poerschke, and Laura S. Dunning of Levin, Papantonio, Rafferty, Proctor, Buchanan, O’Brien, Barr & Mougey, P.A., Pensacola, Florida, for appellant Mobile County. R. Bernard Harwood, Jr., of Rosen Harwood, PA.., Tuscaloosa; and Mary Beth Mantiply, Montrose, for respondents/appellees Mobile County Board of Health and Family Oriented Primary Health Care Clinic, Inc.
Petition for Writ of Mandamus (Mobile Circuit Court: CV-19-902806); Jay A. York, J.
Alan T. Hargrove, Jr., and Dennis R. Bailey of Rushton, Stakely, Johnston & Garrett, P.A., Montgomery (withdrew 9/1/22); Joseph D. Steadman, Jr., and Matthew C. McDonald of Jones Walker LLP, Mobile; Jason C. Wright of Jones Day, Los Angeles, California; and William G. Laxton, Jr., of Jones Day, Washington, D.C., for petitioners Walmart Inc., and WalMart Stores East, LP.
Sara M. Turner and Leigh Anne Fleming of Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz, P.C., Birmingham; and Nina R. Rose of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, Washington, D.C., for petitioners Endo Health Solutions Inc., Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc., Par Pharmaceuticals Companies, Inc., and Par Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Bert P. Taylor of Taylor Partners, LLC, Orange Beach; and Michael D’Agostino of Morgan, Lewis & Beckius LLP, Hartford, Connecticut, for petitioners Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc., Cephalon, Inc., Actavis LLC, and Actavis Pharma, Inc.
Harlan I. Prater IV of Lightfoot, Franklin & White, LLC, Birmingham, for petitioner McKesson Corporation.
Christopher S. Berdy, Caroline D. Walker, and Xan Ingram Flowers of Butler Snow, Birmingham; Charles C. Lifland and Justine M. Daniels of O’Melveny & Meyers LLP, Los Angeles, California; and Steve Brody of O’Melveny &Meyers LLP, Washington, D.C., for petitioners Johnson & Johnson and Janssen Pharmaceuticals,Inc.
Gerald C. Swann, Jr., of Ball, Ball, Matthews & Novak, P.A., Montgomery; Daniel G. Jarcho of Alston & Bird LLP, Washington, D.C.; and Cari K, Dawson and Jenny A. Hergenrother of Alston & Bird LLP, Atlanta, Georgia, for petitioner Noramco, Inc.
Anne Stone Sumblin of Stone Sumblin Law LLC, Kinston; and John S. Phillips of Barlit Beck LLP, Denver, Colorado, for petitioners Walgreen Co. and Walgreen Eastern Co., Inc.
H. Lanier Brown II, J. Patrick Strubel, and Emily S. Walters of Watkins & Eager PLLC, Birmingham; Stan Perry and Nicole S. Soussan of ReedSmith, Houston, Texas; and Rachel B. Weil of ReedSmith, Philadephia, Pennsylvania, for petitioner AmerisourceBergen Drug Corporation.
Andrew P. Campbell and Cason M. Kirby of Campbell Partners LLC, Birmingham; and Coner B. O’Croinin of Zuckerman Spaeder LLP, Baltimore, Maryland, for petitioners CVS Pharmacy, Inc., and CVS Indiana, L.L.C.
Alex L. Holtsford, Jr., of Holtsford Gilliland Higgins Hitson & Howard, P.C., Montgomery; F. Chadwick Morriss of Kirkland & Ellis LLP, Washington, D.C.; James F. Hurst, P.C., Rebecca Fitzpatrick, P.C., Hariklia Karis, P.C., and Maria Pellegrino Rivera of Kirkland & Ellis LLP, Chicago, Illinois; and Janine Metcalf and Meghan E. Breen of Jones Day, Atlanta, Georgia, for petitioners Allergan Finance, LLC, Allergan Sales, LLC, and Allergan USA, Inc.
Jay Michael Ross of Adams and Reese, LLP, Mobile; Diandra "Fu" Debrosse Zimmerman of DiCello Levitt Gutzler, LLC, Birmingham; Christina D. Crow of Jinks Crow & Dickson, P.C., Union Springs; and Peter J. Mougey, Page A. Poerschke, and Laura S. Dunning of Levin, Papantonio, Rafferty, Proctor, Buchanan, O’Brien, Barr & Mougey, P.A., Pensacola, Florida, for appellant Mobile County.
R. Bernard Harwood, Jr., of Rosen Harwood, PA.., Tuscaloosa; and Mary Beth Mantiply, Montrose, for respondents/appellees Mobile County Board of Health and Family Oriented Primary Health Care Clinic, Inc.
PER CURIAM.
1210300 — PETITION DENIED. NO OPINION.
Parker, C.J., and Shaw, Wise, Bryan, Mendheim, Stewart, and Mitchell, JJ., concur.
Sellers, J., dissents, with opinion.
Cook, J., recuses himself.
1210313 — AFFIRMED. NO OPINION.
See Rule 53(a)(1) and (a)(2)(F), Ala. R. App. P.
Parker, C.J., and Shaw, Wise, Bryan, Mendheim, Stewart, and Mitchell, JJ., concur. Sellers, J., dissents, with opinion.
Cook, J., recuses himself.
SELLERS, Justice (dissenting).
The Mobile County Board of Health ("the Board") and Family Oriented Primary Health Care Clinic, Inc. ("the Clinic"), commenced an action in the Mobile Circuit Court against various opioid manufacturers, opioid distributors, and pharmacies. The Board and the Clinic sought relief because, they alleged, they had been impacted by an opioid crisis allegedly created by the defendants. In case number 1210300, Walmart Inc. and other defendants seek a writ of mandamus directing the trial court to grant their motion for a judgment on the pleadings because, they assert, Alabama’s abatement statute, § 6-5-440, Ala. Code 1975, requires dismissal of the action. Consistent with my dissent in Ex parte Cardinal Health, Inc., 382 So.3d 1226, — (Ala. 2023) (Sellers, J., dissenting), I respectfully dissent from the Court’s decision today to deny the petition for a writ of mandamus. I also dissent from the Court’s decision in case number 1210313, an appeal that has been consolidated with the referenced petition for a writ of mandamus, to affirm the trial court’s judgment denying Mobile County’s motion to intervene in the action. Based on my conclusion regarding the petition for a writ of mandamus and the applicability of the abatement statute, I would dismiss Mobile County’s appeal as moot.