A judge overseeing an opioid trial in California said Thursday he was “grappling” with a lack of evidence produced by the government plaintiffs that several manufacturers of the prescription painkillers created a public nuisance.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Peter Wilson interrupted Motley Rice partner Fidelma Fitzpatrick’s closing argument, held via Zoom, which included charts and graphs depicting the rise in opiate prescriptions in the counties of Los Angeles, Orange and Santa Clara, as well as the city of Oakland.