Watson Laboratories, Inc. v. State of Mississippi

CHAMBERLIN, JUSTICE, FOR THE COURT:

¶ 1. In 2005, the State of Mississippi filed suit against more than eighty prescription drug manufacturers alleging, among other things, that each committed common-law fraud and violations of the Mississippi Consumer Protection Act. The allegations, which will be more thoroughly discussed, focused on whether the prescription-drug manufacturers inflated reported prices, which caused the Mississippi Division of Medicaid ("Mississippi Medicaid") to reimburse pharmacies at the inflated rates. The cases were eventually severed, so the present case and appeal…