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Scituate council ratifies dismissal of town from part of national opioid litigation, cites solicitor recommendation
Summary
The council met in executive session under RIGL 40-2-46-5(a)(2) for pending litigation and later ratified a dismissal of Scituate's participation in part of the national opioid class-action litigation, following national counsel's recommendation to dismiss one defendant.
The Scituate Town Council convened an executive session to discuss pending litigation and collective bargaining under Rhode Island General Laws 40-2-46-5(a)(2). After returning to open session, council members said they had taken one sealed vote in executive session related to the national opioid litigation.
Council President Collins said the sealed action involved ratifying the town solicitor’s recommendation to dismiss Scituate’s participation in a portion of the national opioid class-action litigation. "On conferring with the solicitor, he advised me to tell you that it was ratification of my dismissing Scituate's participation in the class action suit for the litigation for opioids," Collins said in open session. A council member later explained the town followed national counsel’s recommendation to agree to a dismissal of one defendant and that the town had filed the paperwork to effect that dismissal.
Council members recorded that the executive-session motion passed unanimously and that the motion and vote were sealed. When asked for the specifics of the sealed vote, council leadership and the solicitor declined to disclose details, noting the vote record was sealed in accordance with the executive-session rules.
The agenda had also listed collective bargaining with Teamsters Local 251 for a contract beginning July 1, 2025, as a reason to convene into executive session; the transcript does not record a public outcome for that bargaining item. Council members indicated they would announce actions from executive session as permitted by law.
Because the executive-session vote was sealed, the council provided only limited public detail: that an action concerning the national opioid litigation was taken and that town counsel and national counsel recommended dismissal of a defendant and filed appropriate paperwork. The council said it would consult the solicitor about public disclosure in accordance with applicable rules and statutes.
