$400M Settlement Between WV & Three Big Opioid Distributors

$400M Settlement Between WV & Three Big Opioid Distributors

Introduction

A historic 400 million dollar settlement between West Virginia and the three largest opioid distributors in the country has been reached.

The deal was reached after a lawsuit against AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health, and McKesson was postponed last month. The lawyers requested the extension so they could figure out the specifics of the deal.

The statement on Monday is seen as a success for a state where the opioid epidemic has killed thousands of people and affected thousands of families via addiction and overdose.

Cities and counties will get the $400 million to resolve numerous drug lawsuits in federal and state court.

According to one of the plaintiffs' attorneys, the payment is viewed as a bittersweet win for lives already gone. Although this settlement would focus on particular projects to help curb the opioid crisis over a 12-year period, he said that no amount of money can rehabilitate past victims.

This money is intended to halt the issue from getting worse. The money received from this settlement does not go to the parents, nor does it go to the siblings. This needs to end so that the young child down the street doesn't develop a drug addiction.

The settlement's parameters will now be distributed to counties and communities around the state for ratification.

Before hosting a hearing for public comment, the county will not spend a single penny of the funds, according to the president of the Kanawha County Commission. He said that funding initiatives like drug rehabilitation and first responder training are a crucial component of their long-term strategy.

A $21 billion nationwide settlement with the distributors was not thought to be open to the state. However, thanks to this arrangement, West Virginia will get more settlement funds per person than any other state and a portion that is more than twice as large.

Following an unfavorable ruling on July 4 during a bench trial, the city of Huntington and Cabell County, the first in the nation to sue the major three manufacturers in federal court, were excluded from the settlement.

The omission of Huntington and Cabell County, according to a co-counsel, is particularly upsetting because this region is the hub of the opioid epidemic that gave rise to the federal lawsuit.

The attorney general of West Virginia stated in a statement that he is pleased to see the legal system function as it ought to by helping West Virginia towns that have been severely impacted by opioid misuse. This settlement, along with other settlements from other cases, will provide significant help to those affected the most by the opioid crisis in West Virginia. He continued by saying that he had always predicted that when it came to battling for our people, West Virginia will get the highest per capita settlement outcomes nationwide.