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First Round of Opioid Settlement Funds Distributed to
North Country
Published: April 21, 2022 at
08:45 a.m.
By: Press Release from NYS Attorney General’s Office
Attorney General James Distributes First Funds from Historic
Opioid Settlements to North Country
North Country to Receive More Than $2.6 Million in
First Round of Payments
NEW YORK – New
York Attorney General Letitia James distributed the first round of payments
from the opioid settlements to the North Country. In 2022, the North
Country will receive a total of $2.6 million. These funds are the result of
the $1.5 billion that Attorney General James has secured so far for New
York state as a result of settlements with the
manufacturers and distributors of opioids. All 62 counties and the five
largest cities in the state will begin receiving funds this week, which
will be used for opioid treatment and prevention efforts. The North Country
will receive up to $14.5 million in total over the years as part of these
settlements.
“Too many New
Yorkers have been impacted by the dangerous and deadly effects of opioids,
and these funds will support our communities in the North Country with
treatment, support, and prevention,” said Attorney General James.
“With these funds, we will help residents and families recover and rebuild.
While no amount of money will ever compensate for the lives we’ve lost to
this crisis, these funds will be vital in helping to prevent future
deaths.”
These payments
are the first of many to the North Country to combat the opioid crisis. The
first payments come from settlements with opioid distributors — AmerisourceBergen
Corporation, Cardinal Health, Inc., and McKesson Corporation.
Later this year,
the North Country will receive additional payments from the settlements
with Endo Health Solutions, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, and Allergan. In
addition, counties will receive funds from the New York State Opioid
Settlement Fund, which is managed by the New York State Office of Addiction
Services and Supports (OASAS).
The breakdown of
the funds that will be distributed in 2022 is below.
North Country
Total: $2,651,651
- Clinton County: $495,980
- Essex County: $219,083
- Franklin County: $272,802
- Hamilton County: $18,055
- Jefferson County: $759,728
- Lewis County: $149,790
- St. Lawrence County: $736,212
In October
2021, Attorney General James visited Clinton County as part of
her statewide ‘HealNY’ tour, where she
announced that she would deliver up to $14.5 million to help residents throughout
the North Country combat the opioid epidemic.
In March
2019, Attorney General James filed the nation’s most extensive
lawsuit to hold accountable the various manufacturers and distributors
responsible for the opioid epidemic. The manufacturers named in
the complaint included Purdue Pharma and its affiliates, as well as members
of the Sackler Family (owners of Purdue) and trusts they control; Janssen
Pharmaceuticals and its affiliates (including its parent company Johnson
& Johnson); Mallinckrodt LLC and its affiliates; Endo Health Solutions
and its affiliates; and Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.
and its affiliates. The distributors named in the complaint were McKesson
Corporation, Cardinal Health Inc., Amerisource Bergen Drug Corporation, and
Rochester Drug Cooperative Inc.
In December
2021, Attorney General James scored a court victory against Teva
Pharmaceuticals USA after a jury found the company and its affiliates
liable for violating New Yorkers’ rights. A subsequent trial will
now be held to determine how much Teva and others
will be required to pay, which will be added to the up to $1.5 billion
Attorney General James has already secured for the state of New York from
different opioid manufacturers and distributors.
In September 2021, Attorney General James secured $50 million from Endo for
New York state and Nassau and Suffolk counties to combat the opioid crisis
and removed the opioid manufacturer from New York’s ongoing opioid trial.
In July
2021, Attorney General James secured a settlement with McKesson, Cardinal Health, and
Amerisource Bergen that will deliver up to $1 billion to New York state to
combat the opioid epidemic.
In June 2021, Attorney General James announced a settlement that will deliver $230 to New York and end
Johnson & Johnson’s sale of opioids nationwide.
The cases against
Mallinckrodt, Purdue Pharma, and Rochester Drug Cooperative are now moving
separately through U.S. Bankruptcy Court.
This matter was
handled by First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy, Senior Advisor and
Special Counsel M. Umair Khan, Director of Legal Initiatives Erica Gilles,
and Assistant Attorneys General Carol Hunt and Noah Popp. The settlement
was also brought about by the work led by Senior Enforcement Counsel John Oleske and Special Counsel Monica Hanna, as well as
Assistant Attorneys General Conor Duffy, Diane Johnston, Leo O’Toole,
Jeremy Pfetsch, Larry Reina, Michael Reisman,
Lois Saldana, and Louis Testa; Project Attorneys Wil Handley, Stephanie
Torre, and Eve Woodin; Paralegals Ketty Dautruche and Christine
Reynolds; Legal Assistant David Payne; Director of Research and Analytics
Jonathan Werberg; Data Scientist Gautam Sisodia;
Data Analyst Anushua Choudhury; Information
Technology Specialists Hewson Chen and Paige Podolny;
E-Discovery Document Review Specialist Kristin Petrella; and former Counsel
for Opioids and Impact Litigation David Nachman.
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