To settle lawsuits involving its alleged responsibility in the opioid crisis and how its pharmacies allegedly dispensed prescription medications to consumers, California did get$ 122 million in a settlement agreement with Kroger, the grocery chain’s parent company and Ralphs ‘ parent company.
The settlement brings to an end a deal the company struck last year to settle nearly all of the opioid-related disputes. Korner agreed to pay nearly$ 1.4 billion over the next 11 years to California and other plaintiffs, though it did not acknowledge any wrongdoing or liability in the settlement.
In addition to selling food and other products, Kroger grocery stores, which operate in 35 states, offer pharmacy services to its customers. In addition to roughly$ 177 million for attorneys ‘ fees and court costs, the settlement agreement specifies that the company must pay$ 1.2 billion to state and local governments and$ 36 million to Native American tribes for abatement programs.
” At the California Department of Justice, we are committed to holding entities, like Kroger, accountable for their role in fueling the opioid epidemic” , , Atty. Gen. In a news release from Monday, Rob Bonta revealed.
The settlement amount will be available for 33 states, but a state court judge must still approve and submit the requested documents to a state court judge.
Under the agreement, Kroger pharmacies will monitor and report suspicious opioid prescription activity.
A Kroger spokesman said that the company will continue to fight opioid abuse and that it will continue to offer fresh, reasonably priced groceries to neighborhoods all over the country.
While the opioid epidemic in the U.S. was sparked by oxycodone and other addictive prescription painkillers. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, synthetic substances like fentanyl are the cause of the most overdose deaths.
Over the summer, the , Supreme Court upset a massive settlement  , related to Purdue Pharma company, makers of prescription painkiller OxyContin. The justices decided in a 5 to 4 vote that the proposed settlement, which would have paid victims$ 10 billion, was ineffective because it would have shielded the Sackler family, the billionaire owners of Purdue, from further liability even though the family did not declare bankruptcy.
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