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Update:
- CVS Pharmacy, Walmart and Walgreens will temporarily not have to abide by business practice requirements imposed on them by a judge who found them liable for fulfilling painkiller prescriptions in two Ohio counties.
- U.S. District Judge Dan Aaron Polster of the Northern District of Ohio suspended the injunction, which he issued on Aug. 17, until mid-December as the pharmacies continue to appeal the verdict against them.
- Judge Polster ordered CVS, Walmart and Walgreens to adopt policies and practices that would ensure they couldn’t inundate communities with prescription opioids.
- He also ordered the pharmacies to pay $650 million toward an abatement plan for the two Ohio counties, Lake and Trumbull, once the injunction is complete.
CVS, Walmart, Walgreens opioid trial overview:
- Who: An Ohio federal judge ordered CVS, Walmart and Walgreens to pay $650 million for their role in the opioid crisis.
- Why: The $650 million will be used to establish an abatement program in Trumbull and Lake counties.
- Where: The opioid lawsuit was heard in Ohio federal court.
(Aug. 22, 2022)
CVS, Walmart and Walgreens will be required to pay more than $650 million for their role in the Ohio opioid crisis, according to a ruling by an Ohio federal judge.
U.S. District Judge Dan Aaron Polster ruled that the pharmacy chains will jointly fund a 15-year plan to establish an abatement program for two Ohio counties.
Trumbull and Lake counties asked for $3.2 billion to address the opioid crisis, but the judge’s order reduced the amount. Judge Poster determined that CVS, Walmart and Walgreens should be responsible for one-third of the abatement costs. Opioid manufacturers and distributors should be on the hook for the rest of the abatement costs, the judge ruled.
“Because of these reductions, plaintiffs will have to use the monies they receive judiciously and spend those abatement funds where they are needed most,” Judge Polster writes in his order.
CVS, Walmart and Walgreens maintain that they followed federal laws and regulations with regard to opioid prescriptions. They have indicated that they will appeal the judge’s ruling.
Thousands of opioid lawsuits pending across the United States
Judge Polster has presided over nearly 3,000 opioid lawsuits in federal multidistrict litigation titled In re: National Prescription Opiate Litigation. Other opioid lawsuits are currently pending across the nation.
The opioid lawsuits allege that drug manufacturers, distributors and pharmacies failed to acknowledge that opioid painkillers were contributing to an addiction crisis that ultimately caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans since 2006.
A California federal judge recently ruled that Walgreens helped fuel the opioid epidemic in San Francisco by distributing hundreds of thousands of opioid prescriptions without first checking if they were suspicious.
And earlier this summer, Rite Aid agreed to pay $10.5 million to settle three Ohio opioid crisis lawsuits.
Do you think the judge ordered CVS, Walmart, and Walgreens to pay enough for their alleged role in the Ohio opioid crisis? Tell us your thoughts in the comments!
The counties are represented by the Lanier Law Firm, Spangenberg Shibley & Liber LLP, Plevin & Gallucci Co., Napoli Shkolnik PLLC, Simmons Hanly Conroy LLC, Motley Rice LLC, and Farrell & Fuller LLC.
The CVS, Walmart, Walgreens Opioid Lawsuits are County of Lake v. Purdue Pharma LP, et al., Case No. 1:18-op-45032; County of Trumbull v. Purdue Pharma LP, et al., Case No. 1:18-op-45079; and In re: National Prescription Opiate Litigation, Case No. 1:17-md-02804, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio.
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