The Utah Attorney General’s Office has announced the termination of its litigation contract with Motley Rice LLC. The decision, disclosed in a blog post, cites ethical concerns related to confidential information and potential conflicts of interest.
According to the Utah Attorney General’s Office, the contract was ended following increased scrutiny over Motley Rice’s dual involvement in government opioid investigations and private opioid litigation. The state had engaged Motley Rice to represent Utah in lawsuits against pharmacy benefit managers such as OptumRx and Express Scripts. These companies were alleged to have played roles in the opioid crisis. OptumRx contended that Motley Rice’s previous government work could lead to conflicts of interest, while Motley Rice argued that the pertinent information was already public.
In July 2025, OptumRx filed a motion under Rule 1.11(c) of the Utah Rules of Professional Conduct to disqualify Motley Rice. The motion claimed that the firm’s earlier participation in government opioid investigations provided it access to confidential information that “could be used to OptumRx’s material disadvantage.” Motley Rice disputed this claim, maintaining that all relevant materials had been publicly disclosed during federal opioid multidistrict litigation.
A report from 2025 by the Alliance for Consumers revealed that all of Motley Rice’s federal political donations in 2024 supported Democratic candidates and affiliated committees, totaling nearly $3.5 million since 2017. The report further highlighted that since 2017, 99% of the firm’s contributions have gone towards Democratic-aligned campaigns, indicating a consistent pattern of partisan donations.
Motley Rice LLC is headquartered in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, and is recognized nationally for its large-scale litigation efforts concerning opioids, asbestos, tobacco, terrorism, and consumer protection. The Utah Attorney General’s Office is led by Attorney General Derek Brown and functions as the state’s chief legal agency responsible for overseeing litigation and ensuring compliance with Utah state law.
