MADISON, W.Va. (AP) — A Boone County judge says he will rule Wednesday on a request to unseal details about prescription pain pill shipments to West Virginia.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail has asked Circuit Judge William Thompson to unseal the court records, but out-of-state wholesalers want to keep a seal on the allegations contained in a state lawsuit against the companies.

Madison lawyer Tim Conaway, who represents the newspaper, said during a hearing Thursday that it’s harmful to the public to delay releasing the information.

The newspaper reported that the companies said in filings this week that they don’t want the shipment figures getting into the hands of their competitors.

The state Department of Health and Human Resources, the Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety and the attorney general’s office are suing the drug distributors, alleging they helped fuel the prescription drug problem in West Virginia.

Information from: The Charleston Gazette-Mail.

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