West Virginia continues to lead the nation in per capita opioid litigation settlements and more settlements may be on the way.
In an online briefing Tuesday from the Eastern Panhandle, West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said a September 26th trial date is now set for Putnam County opioid cases involving Walmart, CVS and Walgreen pharmacies.
“We’re getting ready for trial,” Morrisey said. “We just had a trial and there were three settlements that came out. Two of the companies we settled with on the very last day before trial.”
West Virginia has now agreed to more than $300 million in settlements with pharmaceutical companies.
Morrisey said West Virginia will continue to reject the larger state population-based formula for settlement amounts.
“We think that this problem needs to be addressed based on the intensity of the epidemic,” Morrisey said. “And certainly, it was felt most acutely in West Virginia.”
Morrisey said he’s taking a more aggressive stance in working to obtain documents from Kroger as the state prepares for an opioid trial with that supermarket chain’s pharmacies.
He said if people know someone in need of assistance, reach out to the West Virginia First Foundation, which will receive monies from the settlement to help those recovering from substance use addiction.