Current:Home > InvestKroger agrees to pay up to $1.4 billion to settle opioid lawsuits-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Kroger agrees to pay up to $1.4 billion to settle opioid lawsuits
View Date:2024-12-23 20:44:10
One of the nation’s largest grocery chains is the latest company to agree to settle lawsuits over the U.S. opioid crisis.
In a deal announced Friday, the Kroger Co. would pay up to $1.4 billion over 11 years. The amount includes up to $1.2 billion for state and local governments where it operates, $36 million to Native American tribes and about $177 million to cover lawyers’ fees and costs.
Kroger currently has stores in 35 states — virtually everywhere save the Northeast, the northern plains and Hawaii. Thirty-three states would be eligible for money in the deal. The company previously announced settlements with New Mexico and West Virginia.
Over the past eight years, prescription drug manufacturers, wholesalers, consultants and pharmacies have proposed or finalized opioid settlements totaling more than $50 billion, including at least 12 others worth more than $1 billion. The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear arguments later this year on whether one of the larger settlements, involving OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma, is legal.
Most of the settlement money is to be used to address an overdose epidemic linked to more than 80,000 deaths a year in the U.S. in recent years, with most of the latest deaths connected to illicit synthetic drugs such as fentanyl rather than prescription painkillers.
Still, Jayne Conroy, a lead lawyer for the governments suing the companies, told The Associated Press in an interview Friday that it makes sense for players in the prescription drug industry to have a major role in funding solutions to the crisis.
“It really isn’t a different problem,” she said. “The problem is the massive amount of addiction. That addiction stems from the massive amount of prescription drugs.”
The companies have also agreed to change their business practices regarding powerful prescription painkillers, consenting to restrictions on marketing and using data to catch overprescribing. Conroy said those noneconomic terms for Kroger have not been finalized, but they’ll look like what other companies have agreed to.
Kroger said it intends to finalize its deal in time to make initial payments in December.
The company would not admit wrongdoing or liability as part of the deal, which is called in a statement a milestone in efforts to resolve opioid lawsuits. “Kroger has long served as a leader in combatting opioid abuse and remains committed to patient safety,” the company said.
While most of the biggest players have settled, the opioid litigation is continuing. Cases are being prepared for trial involving the supermarket chains Publix and Albertsons, the latter of which is attempting to merge with Kroger. Pharmacy benefit managers such as Express Scripts and OptumRx also face opioid claims from governments.
veryGood! (87797)
Related
- Gigi Hadid and Bradley Cooper Prove They're Going Strong With Twinning Looks on NYC Date
- Why California takes weeks to count votes, while states like Florida are faster
- Why Jersey Shore's Jenni JWoww Farley May Not Marry Her Fiancé Zack Clayton
- 'Squid Game' creator lost '8 or 9' teeth making Season 1, explains Season 2 twist
- College football top five gets overhaul as Georgia, Miami both tumble in US LBM Coaches Poll
- Minnesota county to pay $3.4M to end lawsuit over detainee’s death
- Bowl projections: SEC teams joins College Football Playoff field
- Lions QB Jared Goff, despite 5 interceptions, dared to become cold-blooded
- The USDA is testing raw milk for the avian flu. Is raw milk safe?
- The 10 Best Cashmere Sweaters and Tops That Feel Luxuriously Soft and Are *Most Importantly* Affordable
Ranking
- Will Trump curb transgender rights? After election, community prepares for worst
- Repair Hair Damage In Just 90 Seconds With This Hack from WNBA Star Kamilla Cardoso
- NATO’s Rutte calls for more Western support for Ukraine, warns of Russian alliances
- Wall Street makes wagers on the likely winners and losers in a second Trump term
- A herniated disc is painful, debilitating. How to get relief.
- Jury awards Abu Ghraib detainees $42 million, holds contractor responsible
- Judge extends the time to indict the driver accused of killing Johnny Gaudreau and his brother
- Britney Spears Reunites With Son Jayden Federline After His Move to Hawaii
Recommendation
-
Kim Kardashian Says She's Raising Her and Kanye West's 4 Kids By Herself
-
The Daily Money: Markets react to Election 2024
-
Video shows masked man’s apparent attempt to kidnap child in NYC; suspect arrested
-
Taylor Swift Becomes Auntie Tay In Sweet Photo With Fellow Chiefs WAG Chariah Gordon's Daughter
-
One person is dead after a shooting at Tuskegee University
-
DWTS' Sasha Farber Claps Back at Diss From Jenn Tran's Ex Devin Strader
-
Tua Tagovailoa playing with confidence as Miami Dolphins hope MNF win can spark run
-
Saks Fifth Avenue’s holiday light display in Manhattan changing up this season