Source: Associated Press
Washington AG rejects opioids settlement, wants trial
July 21, 2021
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson on Wednesday said he has formally rejected the states proposed part of a $26 billion settlement with the nations three largest drug distribution companies and drugmaker Johnson & Johnson related to the opioid addiction and overdose crisis.
Under the settlement proposal, the companies that distributed opioids would pay Washington an estimated total of $527.5 million over 18 years if all of the states cities and counties opt in and release any current or future claims, Ferguson said in a news release Wednesday. But if some cities opt out, the state and participating municipalities would lose up to 50% of the payment, he said.
The settlement consists of two separate agreements with opioid distributors McKesson, Cardinal Health and AmerisourceBergen, and Johnson & Johnson.
The settlement is, to be blunt, not nearly good enough for Washington, Ferguson said. It stretches woefully insufficient funds into small payments over nearly 20 years, to be shared among more than 300 Washington jurisdictions.
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https://apnews.com/article/business-health-government-and-politics-washington-opioids-386fa9d659647a718c7261b4a8b2948b