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Opioid Crisis Settlement Overview:
- Who: About 90% of local governments nationwide have signed on to a $26 billion settlement being paid out by Johnson & Johnson and the nation’s three largest opioid distributors.
- Why: Opioid distributors, along with J&J, have been accused of exacerbating the nationwide opioid epidemic.
- Where: The opioid settlement was open for states to sign on to nationwide by a Jan. 26 deadline
An “unprecedented” number of local governments nationwide have opted to participate in a $26 billion settlement resolving lawsuits alleging pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson and three large drug distributors fueled the U.S. opioid epidemic, lawyers announced Jan. 26.
The deadline to opt in to the settlement was Jan. 26, and about 90% of the local governments nationwide that were eligible to participate had indicated they would do so, said Peter Mougey, a lawyer for plaintiffs involved in the negotiations, Reuters reports.
The settlement is between the local governments, drug company Johnson & Johnson and distributors McKesson Corp, AmerisourceBergen Corp and Cardinal Health Inc.
Lawyers said the widespread interest in participating in the settlement increased the odds that it will move forward.
“To get 6,000 cities and counties to agree on anything at the 90% level in 90 days is unprecedented,” Mougey said. “It demonstrates the strength and power of this settlement.”
Funds allocated to the states in the multistate agreement are meant to be used toward fighting the opioid epidemic, which the opioid distributors have been accused of exacerbating.
Distributors To Pay $21B With J&J To Contribute About $5B
The settlement, which will end the majority of complaints lodged, has the distributors set to pay $21 billion of the funds over the next 18 years with Johnson & Johnson contributing around $5 billion.
How much the companies ultimately pay depends on state and local government participation.
On Jan. 11, Nevada and Georgia joined the $26 billion opioid settlement, coming away with almost $300 million and $636 million in funds, respectively.
Not involved in the settlement but facing challenges of its own is Purdue Pharma, which had its bankruptcy confirmation order overturned by a New York federal judge in December, The New York Times reports.
Purdue Pharma’s bankruptcy plan had previously been approved in September of last year. The company filed for bankruptcy in 2019 as it and its billionaire owners, the Sackler family, faced roughly 3,000 lawsuits pertaining to its role in helping fuel the opioid crisis.
The bankruptcy plan had protected the company and the Sackler family from class action complaints pointing to its manufacturing of OxyContin.
Were you or a loved one affected by the nationwide opioid epidemic allegedly exacerbated by the country’s largest opioid distributors? Let us know in the comments!
Don’t Miss Out!
Check out our list of Class Action Lawsuits and Class Action Settlements you may qualify to join!
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55 thoughts on90% of US Cities, Counties Agree to Join $26B Opioid Settlement by Deadline
Can we still get added? Maybe by the state we live in? (Utah) I’ve lost my husband and I’m facing eviction.
Add me please
I was addicted to pain meds for almost a decade and lost my job, my marriage, and almost died.
I am now free of that addiction but no thanks to the doctors that put me on so many things I could not function. Upon asking the doctor to help me get off he told me I was crazy and they were not bad for me…
Bro, I was dying literally
I have struggled since the day I started them, They helped for pain but had I known what was to come I would have never ever put one in my mouth. Ive lost everything I owned along with my husband of 18 years. I cannot even tell you how many times we tried to stop but most places do not allow husband and wife together . One of us would go in and be fine, the other would come out and it was a vicious circle that still effects me to this day. Please add me, I have been commenting on other pages and I get no response
Hello, my name is Alexandra i am 30 years old and have lived with the pain of watching my father loose his life to his addiction to oxy 30mg, it all started when he was 22 recovering from a severe car accident and chased that high everyday for the rest of his life, he suffered from depression, broken heart when my mom left him when i was 8 because he wasn’t emotionally available for us . he caused his family a lot of pain, and battled colon cancer, went into remission, just to loose his life in a suffering state because his usage was so high nothing could relieve the emotional and physical pain i would loose him to, a year after my mother passing away. please add me, i pray to god for better days
Please add me my fiancé has been on them for years! He can’t get off them bc they said if he had back surgery it would make his back worse. He hates them!
Please add me I was affected for the last 8 years doctors lie and continue to prescribe.
Please add me…I’ve had a hard time because of opioids
Add me
My daughter broke her pelvic bone amd was prescribed oxycotin for her pain, she was told the addiction rate was extremely low, and not worry, thats why they are made. She was 16 years old, straight A’s, loved school and voted the smartest girl in her school. Today she is homeless and strung out on herion,
Yes I was on them for over six years, and I’m still not the same. I’m quick temper and my wife were talking about divorcing me. I was very very nuts. Those doctors took me to every level, where they put me on the Fentanyl Patch. I would lay down and get short breath U could barely breathe. I had to get up and sit on the side if my bed because I felt my breath fading. I knew if I just lay there I would have died. That happened many times. I was afraid to go to sleep fearing that U wasn’t going to wake up.