Dec. 6, 2022
Carson City, NV – Today, Nevada Attorney General Aaron D. Ford announced that Nevada entered two additional opioid litigation settlements, bringing in tens of millions of dollars to assist with abating the opioid crisis in the state. Nevada will receive $32.2 million from a multistate settlement with Walmart and $1.5 million from a settlement – not negotiated as part of a multistate deal – with American Drug Stores. In addition, the Mallinckrodt bankruptcy plan has been finalized, resulting in $1.8 million for Nevada.
“Nevada continues to recover funds to address the opioid crisis in our state, but there is still much more to be done,” said Attorney General Aaron D. Ford. “These recoveries will allow governments at all levels across the state to quickly fund programs needed to help those Nevadans affected by the opioid epidemic. My office will continue to work to hold every entity responsible for this crisis in Nevada accountable.”
In its omnibus lawsuit, the state alleged that both Walmart and American Drug Stores violated the Nevada Deceptive Trade Practices Act when they failed to properly regulate prescription opioids in Nevada. Both settlements included injunctive relief terms in addition to monetary payments.
Last year, the state, along with all Nevada counties and cities that currently have active litigation against opioid companies, came to an agreement on the intrastate allocation of funds from opioid-related recoveries. This One Nevada Agreement on Allocation of Opioid Recoveries provides a framework for how funds from any Nevada opioid-related settlement will be allocated among the state and various local governmental entities and used to remediate the harms, impact and risks caused by the opioid epidemic in the state.
“The proceeds from these settlements will help address the emotional and economic burden that opioids have left on our residents and the community as a whole. Opioids have destroyed an entire generation of young people, leaving behind damage that cannot be undone,” said Clark County Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick, a strong advocate for addressing the opioid problem. “These funds will help us boost capacity of treatment programs that address addiction for this vulnerable population. Opioid addiction often leads to other drug use so this support will span across all addiction-related services to improve short- and long-term recovery for the human lives so drastically impacted.”
“Given the tragic impact of the opioid crisis, we are happy that our community can put this settlement money toward programs that can prevent further crises,” said Washoe County Manager Eric Brown.
“We have so many struggling with opioid addiction in our community,” said Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn G. Goodman. “All of the jurisdictions in Nevada are working together to assist those who are recovering or find themselves trapped in the vicious cycle of addiction.”
“The opioid epidemic in Reno has taken far too many precious lives and devastated too many families,” said Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve. “I am incredibly thankful to Attorney General Ford and our city and state partners for recognizing this important issue and coming together to solve the problem. I’m hopeful these settlements get us closer to a statewide comprehensive behavioral health system, so every Nevadan has the support and resources they need to heal from addiction and truly thrive.”
"Lyon County is appreciative of the One Nevada Agreement that continues to bring in critical funds to our community that help fight the opioid epidemic," said Lyon County Board of Commissioners Chair Vida Keller.
“Nye County is excited to learn about the additional settlements through the One Nevada Agreement,” said Nye County Manager Tim Sutton. “Nye County has been disproportionately affected by the opioid crisis and we are anxious to repair the damage caused by the overproduction by the pharmaceutical industry and the corresponding overprescribing of opioids to our residents. We commend Attorney General Ford and Chief Deputy Attorney General Mark Krueger for spearheading this recovery effort.”
In early 2021, Gov. Sisolak signed Senate Bill 390 (S.B. 390) into law, creating the Fund for a Resilient Nevada, which directs state opioid recoveries to fund evidence-based programs through the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services. S.B. 390 requires the state to create a State Needs Assessment which identifies the critical needs for attacking the impacts and effects of opioids throughout the entire state, and a State Plan for prioritizing funding for the needs identified in said assessment.
S.B. 390 also creates a mechanism for the state, counties and cities to work together in developing county needs assessments and county plans that complement the State Needs Assessment and State Plan, thereby maximizing the use of the money from recoveries.
###