A new wave of lawsuits is coming, following a recent settlement by the world’s largest opioid manufacturer. Mojave County, one of Arizona’s most affected areas by the opioid crisis, will also have the opportunity to participate in new settlement talks next week.
The Mojave County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to vote Tuesday on whether to participate in a U.S. District Court settlement against distributors such as Teva, Allergan, CVS, Walgreens and Walmart. These settlements could total $18.5 billion in payments to all 50 states, Washington DC and other U.S. territories, with Arizona and its local governments receiving pro rata over six to 15 years. .
And, as one of the areas of Arizona hardest hit by the opioid crisis, residents of Mojave County are encouraged to file exceptional complaints against opioid drug manufacturers and distributors who are allegedly responsible. may seem possible.
At the height of the crisis, state officials reported that Mojave County had the highest number of statewide prescriptions for opioid drugs among Arizona residents in 2016. That year, 1.27 opioid prescriptions were issued to all residents of Mojave County.
Mojave County has filed for bankruptcy protection after filing a $1.6 billion lawsuit in the U.S., along with potential future settlements from Ireland-based Mallinckrod Pharmaceuticals, AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson. and other companies have already awarded millions of dollars in recent U.S. District Court settlements. district court.
The county has been a party to multijurisdictional opioid litigation since 2019 and is expected to receive settlements from multiple opioid manufacturers and distributors over the next few decades. These payments are issued under the Office of the Arizona Attorney General, and guidelines state that money from these settlements will be used to address impacts or potential future harm caused by substance abuse in the Arizona community. It stipulates that it can only be used to mitigate
Later this summer, state officials plan to release a comprehensive report on how that money was spent in all 15 Arizona counties.
The Mojave County Board of Supervisors plans to vote on whether to join settlement talks with Teva, Allergan, CVS, Walgreens and Walmart at its board’s next meeting Tuesday in Kingman.
