Rite Aid settles 3 opioid crisis cases for $10.5M

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Rite Aid settlement overview:

• Who: Rite Aid has reportedly agreed to pay $10.5 million to settle three opioid crisis lawsuits.
• Why: The pharmacy denies any wrongdoing but agreed to settle the lawsuits to avoid the uncertainty and expense of ongoing litigation.
• Where: The Rite Aid settlement is part of the opioid crisis multidistrict litigation in Ohio federal court.

Rite Aid has agreed to pay $10.5 million to settle three opioid crisis lawsuits filed in a multidistrict litigation (MDL) in Ohio, Law360 reports.

The Rite Aid settlement will also protect the pharmacy from other bellwether trials in the MDL for 18 months. 

The Rite Aid settlement payment will be evenly distributed among three counties currently pursuing bellwether cases against major pharmacies. Those counties, which have agreed to dismiss Rite Aid from their opioid lawsuits, are Montgomery County, Ohio; Cobb County, Georgia; and Durham County, North Carolina, according to Law 360.

The counties’ bellwether trials against the other pharmacies, including Walmart, CVS,and Walgreens, could begin in early 2023.

Rite Aid settlement denies wrongdoing in connection with opioid crisis

The pharmacy chain faced allegations that it “failed to effectively monitor and report suspicious orders of prescription opioids” and “failed to implement measures to prevent diversion of prescription opioids, which contributed to an increase in opioid addictions, overdoses, and deaths in Montgomery, Cobb and Durham Counties,” according to the Rite Aid settlement documents.

The pharmacy has denied any wrongdoing in connection with the dispensing of prescription opioids in the states but agreed to settle the opioid crisis lawsuits to avoid the uncertainty and expense of ongoing litigation, according to Law360.

“Our job is to put money back in the coffers of our local communities, and Rite Aid financially is struggling,” plaintiffs’ attorney Peter Mougey told Law360. “So, we want to focus our efforts on the Walgreens, CVSes and Walmarts of the world.”

Lake and Trumbull counties in Ohio also filed an opioid crisis lawsuit against CVS, Walgreens and Walmart that was one of the first bellwether trials in the MDL last fall.

In related news, Rite Aid recently agreed to settle a CaptureRx data breach class action lawsuit alleging it failed to adequately safeguard customer data.

What do you think about the Rite Aid settlement? Do you think pharmacies should be held accountable for their alleged role in the opioid crisis? Join the discussion in the comments!

The Rite Aid opioid crisis lawsuits are Montgomery County Board of County Commissioners, et al. v. Cardinal Health Inc., et al., Case No 1:18-op-46326; Cobb County v. Purdue Pharma LP, et al., Case No. 1:18-op-45817; Durham County v. AmerisourceBergen Drug Corp., et al., Case No. 1:19-op-45346; 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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