The pandemic is putting a stall to the long-awaited opioid litigation, delaying resolution of the dispute by at least a year. Two federal trials have been postponed until October 2021 and one has not yet been rescheduled. Courts are hesitant to move these trials to virtual hearings in part because of the scale of the litigation. As cities are starting to feel “cash-strapped” due to the pandemic, plaintiffs feel that they are going to be in a very difficult bargaining position. Companies being sued are currently playing a critical role in the pandemic, which feeds an existing argument that the companies’ funds for settlement would best be used to abate the latest crisis.