Updates on Opioid Litigation

In the culmination of a years-long multidistrict litigation targeting opioid-maker J&J and distributors McKesson, Cardinal, and Amerisource Bergen, cities and towns across Massachusetts at the end of 2021 signed onto proposed settlement agreements that would send opioid remediation funds directly to local governments.

The settlements are moving ahead, with payments to begin in spring or summer 2022, and local governments now stand to receive an even higher percentage of statewide settlement payments. Massachusetts has reached a separate allocation agreement with local governments, offering communities 40 percent of settlement proceeds rather than the default amount of 15 percent offered in the settlement.

There is still time for municipalities to sign up for payments using the allocation agreement and the settlement participation forms available on the Attorney General’s website. The website states that “[m]unicipalities should return the signed forms by March 31, 2022, to ensure their eligibility for first payments.”