BRISTOL (AP) — A Tennessee judge has ruled that a lawsuit by local prosecutors against prescription opioid producers can proceed.

According to a news release from the law firm representing the prosecutors, Sullivan County Chancellor E.G. Moody ruled this week against multiple motions to dismiss by the drug companies.

In the complaint, district attorneys general for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd districts target Purdue Pharma L.P. and its related companies, Mallinckrodt PLC, Endo Pharmaceuticals and three convicted opioid dealers.

It was filed on behalf of the guardian of a baby born dependent on drugs. The three prosecutors represent mountainous, upper east Tennessee in Appalachia, which has been the epicenter of the prescription drug epidemic that has ravaged the country.

The case is among a growing number of opioid lawsuits nationwide against pharmaceutical companies.