West Virginia Attorney General (AG) Patrick Morrisey announced in a press release Wednesday the state settled an opioid lawsuit against Walgreens for $83 million.
The lawsuit alleged the retail giant did not properly oversee the distribution of opioids across West Virginia, according to a press release from the AG’s Office.
The WV AG announced a settlement has been reached between his office and Walgreens for $83 million. The settlement resolves a lawsuit that alleged the pharmacy chain …
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— WV Attorney General (@WestVirginiaAG) January 18, 2023
“We will continue to seek out justice for those affected the most by the opioid epidemic that hit our state the hardest,” Morrisey said, according to the press release. “This and other settlements will not bring back the lives lost from the opioid menace, but our hope is that the money would provide significant help to those affected the most by this crisis in West Virginia.”
The AG also included Kroger, Walmart, CVS and Rite Aid in the litigation. Walmart settled with the state for $65,070,000 and CVS settled for $82.5 million, according to the press release. Kroger remains a defendant in the case. (RELATED: Johnson & Johnson Reaches Settlement For Nearly $100 Million For Role In Opioid Crisis)
Morrisey previously refused to participate in a national settlement with the retailers, according to WV Public Broadcasting. West Virginia has received over $950 million through opioid litigation so far, the outlet reported.
“We’ve doubled up the amount that we would have obtained through the National settlements. I’m not telling you that there wasn’t some risk involved in that,” Morrisey said in a Wednesday press conference, according to WV Public Broadcasting.
The funds from the settlements are distributed to state and local governments to help communities with issues caused by the opioid epidemic, according to the press release.