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Kroger opioid lawsuits settlement overview:
- Who: Kroger will pay $85 million in an opioid settlement with New Mexico.
- Why: The settlement ends claims the supermarket giant contributed to the opioid crisis in New Mexico.
- Where: The settlement was filed in a New Mexico court.
Kroger has agreed to pay $85 million to settle claims it exacerbated the opioid crisis in New Mexico.
The settlement was made between Kroger Co. and the State of New Mexico Nov. 23, court filings show.
The state sued the supermarket giant in 2019, alleging Kroger and others violated the law by failing to monitor, report, and abstain from shipping allegedly suspicious orders of opioid pain medications.
It also alleged that Kroger dispensed opioid pain medications without confirming those prescriptions were issued for a legitimate medical purpose.
“We achieved a great result for New Mexico by taking Kroger to court, and this settlement sends a clear message that pharmacies operating in New Mexico must take an active role in protecting the communities they serve,” New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas said in a statement.
More than $55M for alleviating opioid crisis in New Mexico
According to the settlement, $58.5 million will be devoted to alleviating the opioid crisis in New Mexico.
Local governments will receive about $32 million and the state will get roughly $26 million, the agreement says.
The settlement also includes $25.5 million “in fees to outside counsel for the state,” and an additional $1 million “to cover litigation costs incurred by the state.”
Meanwhile, some of the nations’ largest pharmacies, including Walmart, CVS and Walgreens, have also made settlements recently to resolve claims they helped exacerbate the nationwide opioid epidemic.
The opioid settlements total nearly $11 billion and end allegations the pharmacies made the opioid epidemic worse with the way they prescribed painkiller medication to consumers across the country. Click here for more information.
What do you think of this settlement with Kroger? Let us know in the comments!
The state was represented by the New Mexico Office of the Attorney General, Baron & Budd PC, Levin Papantonio Rafferty, Powell & Majestro PLLC and Robles Rael & Anaya PC.
The Kroger opioids settlement is State of New Mexico v. Purdue Pharma et al., Case No. D-101-CV-201702541, in the First Judicial Circuit of New Mexico.
The Opioids MDL is 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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